


I Picked Up a Mermaid

by Squatta



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future Fish, M/M, Romance, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-15
Updated: 2015-11-17
Packaged: 2018-02-17 11:42:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 44,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2308409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Squatta/pseuds/Squatta
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Makoto has a good, fulfilling life. It almost seems perfect, but it always felt like something was missing. Then one day, he picked up a mermaid. MakoHaru.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The adrenaline rush of running into a blazing fire never gets old. Makoto had lost track of how many fires he had to brave since starting his job as a firefighter three years ago. His first house fire made his heart beat like mad - he was terrified, but managed to successfully rescue the five year old child that had gotten trapped inside and he instantly became the newbie hero.

Makoto enjoyed his job, but that feeling of terror when hit with a wall of hot air from towering flames was still enough to make his pulse skyrocket. He wasn't sure if this adrenaline rush was actually enjoyable, but at the end of the day he could at least say he'd done something good.

He quickly made friends with his co-workers at the fire station, he lived in a decent sized apartment and could afford to eat well and occasionally splurge on a new video game or a fancy electronic. Life was good - so why did it feel like something had always been missing? Makoto was happy, but at the end of the day he would go back to his apartment and feel like something about it was incomplete. Even if he bought material things, it still didn't seem quite right.

"You should try dating for once! You're handsome and popular, I'm so damn jealous! You know you've got plenty of ladies ogling you at rescue scenes sometimes - I'm not sure why you don't just go up and romance one of 'em," Makoto's co-worker gave him a hearty pat on the back and joked.

"Er, that's just not me, I guess?" Makoto laughed nervously. "When I'm out there doing rescues or putting out fires nothing else is on my mind really..."

"Psh, could it be you're just bad with handling women? Guess that's your weak point, huh? Finally, Mr. Perfect seems to fail in something!" His co-worker laughed and gave Makoto a playful jab in the arm.

"Come on, I'm not that perfect... And you know I hate that nickname," Makoto rubbed at his arm.

"Yeah, yeah - but you know we use it affectionately," He ruffled at Makoto's hair. "But seriously, you've been looking down a bit lately - how about you come fishing this weekend? The old lady is going out with her friends to some hot spring so I finally got some time for myself."

"Fishing, huh?" Makoto pondered. "I'm not really good with stuff like that, though, hooking the worms is kind of..."

His co-worker let out a booming laugh, "Don't worry! I'll hook all the worms you need, princess!"

"I hate that nickname even more!" Makoto whined. He knew his name was girly, but was the nickname 'princess' really necessary!?

His co-worker gave him another pat on the back, "You should know by now that I'm kidding. Seriously, all you gotta do is cast the rod and reel it in and I'll do the rest of the work. Whaddaya say?"

Makoto thought for a moment. Maybe doing something a little different than his norm would do good for the strange mood he had been in lately. He didn't want to mention that the ocean scared him a little... but as long as he didn't have to go in he figured he'd be fine.

"Fine, I'll go, it might be fun," Makoto smiled slightly.

"That's the spirit!" His co-worker gave him a wide grin.

Makoto gave a weak smile and wave as he watched his co-worker walk off.

* * *

A day out fishing was actually a lot more enjoyable than Makoto had imagined. He was a little nervous about getting on the boat but his friend eased him on with jokes and encouragement. And of course, like promised, Makoto really only had to cast and reel so he didn't have to worry about hooking the innocent worms...

They ended up catching a few decent sized fish and Makoto's troubles were forgotten during that time. Maybe he should go out and do these kinds of things more often.

"How about you come on over to my place and I'll cook up these fish we caught?" His friend said with a grin as he drove the boat back to shore.

"That sounds great!" Makoto shouted over the boat motor.

As the boat approached the shore, Makoto looked out over the ocean, the sunset reflecting off of the water was quite beautiful despite how the mass of water made him a bit uneasy.

The boat slowed as it neared the dock and Makoto's eyes scanned the surrounding beach. His eyes stopped as he saw a figure off in the far distance... it looked like a person. Behind a giant wall of rocks, it seemed like there was a head with black hair just poking out from behind. The person wasn't moving and it looked as if they may have washed up on shore. Makoto's heart dropped slightly as he thought of the worst and stood up suddenly in the boat.

"What's wrong, Makoto?" His friend asked.

Makoto turned his head, "Ah, I think there's something over there, I'm going to go check it out." He got out of the boat and climbed up onto the dock. He didn't want to get his friend worked up about a possible person being washed up if he ended up being wrong.

"Oh... Alright. Well, don't take too long," the man tried to see what Makoto had noticed but was more preoccupied with tying his boat to the dock.

Makoto jogged along the shore, and as he got closer it seemed his fears were confirmed - it definitely was a person lying there, unmoving. Stricken with panic, he picked up the pace. There was always a possibility that this person could still be alive.

Makoto reached the body, taking short, erratic breaths as he gently knelt down next to the unmoving man. The man lay with his head turned to the side on top of a small rock, his arms draped over the rock and most of his body was still in the water. Cautiously, Makoto moved a hand over his mouth - it was subtle but he was still breathing. He gave a sigh of relief before giving the man a gentle nudge on the shoulder.

"Sir, are you alright?" He said, but the man did not stir. He was probably unconscious - maybe he had struck his head on a rock while swimming?

Makoto did not see any injuries, but then again he couldn't tell with the man barely hanging on to the rock. Makoto made sure that the man wasn't awake before placing his hands underneath the man's arms to hoist him up out of the water. The man was surprisingly light as Makoto made sure not to scrape his body against the rocks. Makoto's eyes wandered down the man's body as he pulled - and that's when he noticed a nasty injury, something that seemed like a shark bite. Although not too severe, it was bad enough to make Makoto quickly pull him up onto the shore.

Makoto nearly dropped the man after what he had seen next. As the man's body came out of the water, it seemed like the swim trunks he was wearing were a little off. They were skin tight and it looked like... scales. It didn't take Makoto much longer to realize that they weren't some fancy new brand of swimmers - they seemed like they were a part of the man's body. Makoto's breath hitched in his throat as he stifled a scream of surprise. With shaking limbs, he sat the man down gently as he looked down in shock at what was right before him. Where the man's feet should've been was a large, split fin. His legs - one long section of beautifully colored blue scales that faded into human flesh at the waist.

Was it a costume? Was Makoto even awake right now? Maybe he had actually hit his head on the boat and he was dreaming right now. Yeah, that was it...

"Hey! Makoto! What're you doing over there!?" Makoto's head whipped around in the direction of the yelling. He had completely forgotten that his co-worker was still there.

Should he show him what he just found? Would that even be a good idea? He did need to do something about the man's injury... But this wasn't a typical human being.

"U-Um, do you mind if you go on without me? I want to stay out on the beach a little longer. I'll meet you at your house!" Makoto made up the only excuse he could think of. He was glad that the rock wall was probably blocking the man he pulled out of the water.

His friend shrugged, "Sure, if you really want."

"Thanks!" Makoto waved and hoped to himself that his friend would be leaving soon.

Makoto turned his attention back to the man lying motionless on the beach. He slowly knelt back down beside the man who was taking slow, shallow breaths. His skin was fair and smooth, but he didn't look weak. He was muscular, like a swimmer, but his face looked soft and delicate in his slumber. His hair was short and pitch-black - he had everything that indicated he was a normal human sans the large fin he had instead of legs. Cautiously, Makoto reached out a hand towards the man's waist. He was nervous to touch it, but he had to know. He had to know if this was all real.

He gingerly touched the scales with a finger, running his finger slightly up to the part that met flesh. It felt just like a fish's scales, the smooth kind that didn't prickle up if you touched them, and the skin definitely felt like human flesh.

Makoto sat down beside the man, still in utter shock. What now? Should he call for help? He is badly injured, after all. But what if this ends up being all over the news? What if this turns out to be something big? What if this man gets turned into some sort of attraction? Or even worse - some sort of lab pet.

Makoto felt a slight pain in his chest as he looked down at the man and thought of what terrible things could happen to him just because he got himself hurt. But he couldn't just leave him here. Makoto attempted again to shake the man awake, but to no avail, it wasn't working.

Looking at the wound was painful enough, but Makoto had nothing on him at the moment in the ways of first aid. He looked around the beach and saw some kelp washed up on the shore - better than nothing. He quickly got up to fetch the kelp, kneeling back down beside the man to wrap his wound as to not get any more sand in it.

Makoto lifted his body slightly so he could wrap the kelp around the man's torso. As he set him back down, the man let out a quiet, short, mumble.

"H-Hey! Are you awake?" Makoto asked and looked down at the man's face.

He didn't make any more noise, and Makoto had noticed that he stopped breathing.

"Hey!"

Makoto, slightly panicked, put his ear up against the man's chest. His heart was still beating, but his pulse sounded like it had slowed. Makoto took no time readying for CPR - he was a firefighter, after all, this was something he had learned and had to do on several occasions.

Pressing against the man's chest, with a few, quick pumps, Makoto leaned in to press his mouth against the man's and breathed out. He continued the process a few more times until he heard a sign of relief. The man began to cough and took in long, labored breaths.

His eyes fluttered open to reveal a deep blue. Makoto gasped slightly as the man looked up at him in surprise, which quickly turned into horror.

"Ah...!" The man sat up and attempted to distance himself from Makoto.

"Don't move! You're injured!" Makoto said frantically as the man nearly flipped over in order to get away from him.

"A-Ow!" The man flopped down, grabbing at his side in pain.

"See? I told you!"

Makoto got up to run over to the man's side. He was met with a strong blow to his legs, sending him to fall backwards.

"S-Stay away..." The man said in a shaking voice, his fin was up and poised to strike again if need be.

Makoto sat up on his hands, speechless. Why was he so cautious of him?

"I'm only trying to help... I saw you unconscious and noticed your injury... You stopped breathing and I gave you CPR-"

"Human's are dangerous!" The man scowled at him, holding onto his side.

Makoto's face fell a bit. How could he have been so naive? He had absolutely no idea who or what the man was in front of him - he was probably as shocked and confused as he was.

Makoto stood up cautiously, "Are you... a mermaid?"

"That's what you people call us..." The man said hesitantly, his eyes darted between the water and Makoto.

Makoto's jaw dropped slightly, "I-I don't want to hurt you! I'm serious! We need to do something about your injury or it could become worse," he took a step forward and the mermaid scooted back on one hand.

"I'm fine, this is nothing," he said, still giving Makoto a cold stare.

"That's not what it looks like to me. You were in pain a moment ago," Makoto tried giving the man a smile.

The mermaid remained silent.

"My name is... Makoto Tachibana - you can call me Makoto," he took another step forward.

"I don't need to know your name..." The mermaid said quietly. "Please just let me go."

"But I'm not preventing you from leaving... Although, I'd prefer it if you didn't - I'd worry about you swimming out there with your injury," Makoto said in a kind voice.

"Like a human would worry about me!" The mermaid's face reddened slightly.

Makoto frowned, "Do... you not have a good relationship with humans?"

"Humans are terrible. They pollute the ocean, kill our fish, destroy our homes with their buildings and docks - a few have even tried to hunt us." The mermaid slid a little closer to the water, "You humans are terrible. I hate that we look so similar."

Makoto's shoulder sunk as he looked down at the mermaid who seemed like he would rather be anywhere other than in front of him.

The mermaid groaned in pain again as he inched closer to the ocean. His body went limp and his breathing was heavy.

"If you're going to kill me - do it now. You're right, I can't go anywhere with this injury. My body is weak and I probably won't survive the night out there." The man leaned up against the rock, his head facing towards the ocean.

Makoto took a few steps towards the man. The mermaid closed his eyes and braced himself for the worst. He knew there wasn't a human that could be trusted...

He felt hands against his skin and something wrapping around his waist tightly. The mermaid open his eyes and looked down to see Makoto wrapping the kelp that had been on him into a tight knot around his body where his wound was.

"It was falling off," Makoto looked up and smiled.

The mermaid looked at him in slight shock as he secured the kelp around him.

"Why are you doing this...?" The mermaid asked quietly.

"I said I wanted to help you - didn't I?" Makoto said, standing up. "The only problem is getting you that help... I have some first aid at my house, but I'm not sure if that's going to do it... Plus I don't even know how I'm going to get you to my house!" Makoto grumbled in thought.

The mermaid let out a sigh, eying Makoto who seemed to be talking to himself at this point.

"Haruka..."

"Huh? Did you say something?" Makoto snapped out of his monologue and glanced over at the mermaid.

The mermaid clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Haruka. My name." He said curtly.

Makoto's face lit up as he smiled, "Haruka... That's such a cute name! Haru-chan!"

Haru blushed, "Don't say my name like that!" He lifted his fin in annoyance, swatting at Makoto.

"Sorry! I won't do it again," Makoto giggled, trying to avoid getting hit. "Anyway, I have an idea, but I'm going to have to trust that you'll wait for me, okay?"

"Wh-What are you going to do with me?" Haru's defenses still weren't down just quite yet.

"Um, I'm thinking that you could stay in my bathtub for now. I have a friend whose a scientist so maybe he could help fixing up your wound... maybe..." Makoto scratched at his chin.

"No!" Haru shouted, shocking Makoto out of his thoughts. "You're going to make me into some sort of experiment! I'd rather just die in the ocean." Haru looked as if he was about to bolt.

"No, no! That's not it at all!" Makoto held his hands out. "My friend would never do that! But we have to take care of your wounds and I only know first aid..." He gave Haru a pleading look.

Haru hesitated for a moment, giving another look back at the sea, letting out a brief sigh.

"Do you promise?" Haru mumbled softly.

"Of course! I would never want to see something like that happen..." Makoto reassured.

Haru turned his head to look up at Makoto, "What is a 'bathtub'?"

Makoto smiled in relief. "Its large tub that we fill up with water to clean off our bodies."

"Huh..." Haru thought for a moment. "Can you swim in it?"

"No, not quite. Its just big enough for your body to fit in."

Haru let out a soft grumble of dislike.

"I'm sorry... that's the only thing I have. Once you're all healed up you can go back to the ocean and swim - I promise," Makoto said with a smile.

Haru remained silent for a moment before speaking up again. "How am I going to get to your home?"

"Yeah, that's the thing... The only thing I can think of is if I go and get my car, but you'll have to wait here. Do you think you can do that?" Makoto asked.

"...Car? Those hideous things you humans get inside of that go really fast?"

"Ah, yes..." Makoto nodded. "So... Can you wait here for me? Will you promise you won't try swimming away with that injury of yours?"

Haru looked up at Makoto's face, still trying to see if this man was as kind as he was letting on. He seemed sincere, but looks could be deceiving. But Haru could feel himself getting weaker by the moment. There was no way he'd last much longer if he tried swimming back to his village on his own. He cursed himself for swimming so far away from it and getting himself attacked so carelessly like he did.

So the human standing above him right now was pretty much his only option. If he were to deceive him, he could only hope that he'd be put out of his misery instead of suffering in agony...

"I'll wait." Haru said curtly.

Makoto smiled. "Great! It shouldn't take me too long - maybe twenty minutes. Can you promise to stay safe until I get back?"

Haru simply nodded and held a hand up to his wound that started aching a bit more.

"Ah! I should hurry before your wound gets any worse!" Makoto waved and took off across the beach.

Makoto figured he could stop by the fire station and grab a couple of portable fire hoses. They were pretty much for emergencies in situations were fire hydrants weren't easily accessible, but hopefully just borrowing it for the day would be alright. He wasn't sure if Haru would be alright in fresh water so he figured he'd pump out some salt water from the ocean.

"Ah..." Makoto remembered that the whole reason he was out there in the first place was because he had went fishing with his friend that day. Maybe it'd be good to call him and let him know that something kind of... came up...

* * *

Makoto hurried back as quickly as he could. His car was pretty small, but he could think of no other way to get the mermaid back to his apartment... And the whole way back he couldn't help but worry over multiple things: is Haru okay? Will he be able to get into the car? How is he going to get him up to the second floor of the apartment building? Makoto groaned as he drove as quickly as he could back to the ocean. He didn't even know if the mermaid would still be there when he got back - he definitely didn't trust Makoto much at all in the first place.

Finally arriving at the beach, Makoto got out of his car in a hurry and ran down to the rocks where he left the mermaid, the portable fire hydrants in hand

"Haru?" Makoto shouted as he approached. He got a shock when he didn't see his figure by the rocks and nearly panicked until he saw a head of black hair bobbing up and down in the water.

"H-Haru! Are you alright?" Makoto rushed over to his side and quickly knelt down, setting the hydrants aside.

Haru was still alive, but his breathing had become shallow. He seemed like he was barely hanging on to his consciousness and his eyes were closed as he held the side of his body where his wound was.

Makoto panicked as he placed his hand against Haru's forehead - it was still warm but he could tell his body temperature had dropped. He quickly filled the hydrants and carried them to the car.

When he got back, he placed an arm underneath Haru's neck and one under his fin and hoisted his limp body up.

"Nn..." Haru groaned in pain as he was lifted up.

"Hang in there, I'll get you home soon!" Makoto said in an exasperated voice as he carried Haru as quickly as he could back to his car.

Makoto somehow managed to open up the passenger side of his car and lift Haru into the seat. The rest of the drive home was a blur of trying to make sure if Haru would make it back to the apartment alright or not. He didn't even know how he managed to haul the mermaid up the stairs without anyone seeing him. He guessed all his years working as a firefighter made it a little easier for him to carry people.

Haru was still taking shallow breaths by the time Makoto had set him in the tub but by now he seemed to have lost consciousness at that point. Makoto rushed down the stairs to grab the water from his car and bring it back up to his apartment, quickly dumping it into the tub.

Makoto slumped down onto the bathroom floor after he had brought up all of the water. He had placed Haru so that he was sitting up, he wasn't sure if he could breathe in water or not... He didn't know anything about mermaids - how was he going to take care of him? Was this a mistake?

No, there was no way he could've just left Haru there to die on his own. But now what? His injury seemed to be getting the best of him and it wasn't like he could call a doctor. He figured his only option was to call his friend after all. He was a scientist, an inventor and creator of sorts, not a doctor, but he probably knew more than Makoto did. Could he trust his friend? He really had no other options.

"Rei?" Makoto said as he heard the other person on the line pick up the phone.

"Oh, Makoto-senpai, is there something you need?" Despite having graduated years ago, Rei had never lost the habit of calling Makoto 'senpai'.

"Well, this is kind of an odd request..." Makoto tried to think of how to explain the situation to his friend. "I figured you might know a good deal of how to treat injuries, maybe? I know you have a lot of doctor friends and took a few medical classes and whatnot..."

"If its simple, I could probably assist somewhat. What happened - Makoto-senpai, are you hurt!?" Rei asked in a worried voice.

"N-No, its not me but... a friend. He's hurt pretty badly, the wound is pretty deep and he's losing consciousness-"

"Then you have to take him to the hospital quickly!" Rei interrupted.

"Th-That's the thing, Rei, I can't... my friend, he's... different. I can't take him to the hospital," Makoto tried to explain.

"How can that be!?"

"Its just... I'll explain later, but that's why I'm calling you, you're my only option, Rei. Please, you have to be the one to help my friend!" Makoto asked desperately.

"I-I'll be on my way!" Rei said with resolve. Makoto knew Rei would pull through for him, he just wondered if Rei would help him keep this secret.

"Thanks, Rei. I really owe you," Makoto hung up and rushed back to the bathroom to check up on Haru.

Thankfully Haru was still breathing but he seemed quite pale. Makoto knelt down and placed a hand on Haru's forehead, pushing away his messy hair out of his face.

"Please hang in there, Haru," Makoto whispered.

Makoto grabbed a hold of Haru's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. It seemed like seconds went by slowly waiting for Rei to come. But finally the knock on the door came and Makoto stood up quickly and ran to his door.

"Where is he?" Rei asked, walking into the apartment, a bag in his hand which was most likely full of medical supplies.

"He's in the bathroom, but first-" Makoto was cut off as Rei quickly walked off.

"W-Wait, Rei!" Makoto chased after him, but it seemed like he was too late as he found Rei frozen at the doorway. "Don't freak out..." Makoto said nervously.

Rei's mouth hung open as his eyes didn't leave the mermaid that lay in the bathtub, his fin hanging over the edge of the tub. It took him a moment to snap back and straighten up his stance.

"Is he still conscious?" He asked quietly, kneeling down beside the tub. He began digging out some tools from his bag.

"I-I don't think so, he isn't responding to anything I say," Makoto walked over cautiously.

"I'll assume you'll explain this to me later, but for now we have to get him stitched up ASAP," Rei continued, slipping on some gloves. "I'll need you to help me lift him up so I can disinfect his wound."

Makoto nodded and did as he was told. He sat on the edge of the tub and lifted Haru's fin out of the tub as Rei grabbed him under the arms. Makoto held Haru up as he watched Rei unwrap the kelp on Haru's body and meticulously work on the wound. They didn't say much to each other the whole time as Makoto watched Rei make the last stitch on his wound. Rei cleaned up a bit more before they settled Haru back into the water.

Makoto sighed as he stood up from the tub. "Thank you, Rei. I don't know what I could've done without you."

Rei packed up his things and stood up, adjusting his glasses. "I assume you're going to explain this to me now."

Makoto nodded and walked towards the doorway of the bathroom as to not disturb Haru who seemed to have fallen asleep, his breathing had now become normal.

"I know this is crazy... but he's a mermaid," Makoto began.

"I wouldn't believe that if I hadn't seen him with my own eyes," Rei commented.

Makoto went on to explain how he had found Haru and how he didn't feel right just leaving him there on the beach without helping him.

Rei sighed with a smile, "That definitely sounds like you, Makoto-senpai. There's no way you'd leave someone who needed help."

"So you understand," Makoto was relieved. "And you understand that... you can't tell anyone about this... right?"

"Well, this is truly a huge discovery, it'd be a shame to let this slip by the eyes of science..."

Makoto's heart clenched hearing his friend say something like that. Should he have not told Rei about this? But if he didn't, Haru could've...

"But, us scientists are also bound to a code of ethics," Rei glanced over at the sleeping mermaid. "I know there are many of my colleagues who would think otherwise, but I wouldn't be able to hand him over to some lab."

Makoto let out a breath of relief. Rei laughed.

"Makoto-senpai seems to already be attached to him too. But I can't believe it - mermaids actually exist!? I'm sure I kept my composure while stitching up his wound but I definitely had to keep my hands from shaking in excitement from knowing that I was working on a specimen so rare! Ahh, if only I could just have one of his scales..." Rei rambled on as his face glowed.

"W-Well, maybe when he wakes up I can ask if something like that is possible," Makoto smiled as he watched his friend.

"That'd be amazing!" Rei gleamed, looking up at Makoto. "Ah!" He looked down at his watch that started to beep. "I have to get back to work!" He quickly walked towards the entrance of the apartment.

"Oh! I'm sorry, you were at work? I should've known," Makoto walked Rei to the door.

"It's fine! I can pretty much take as many breaks as I want. Plus I had an old friend asking for a favor," Rei straightened up as he walked out the door.

"Thanks again, Rei. I'll definitely make it up to you," Makoto leaned against the doorway as he waved goodbye to his friend.

Makoto made his way back into his apartment and checked inside the bathroom. Haru was still asleep but Makoto felt better knowing that his wound was treated. Yet he couldn't take himself away from the doorway. There was still a bit of worry about Haru's health. Makoto went to his kitchen to grab a chair and grabbed a pillow off his bed and headed back into the bathroom.

* * *

Haru stirred from his sleep, his vision was blurry. He rubbed his eyes to wipe away the sleep. As his eyes adjusted to his surroundings, he realized he was in an unfamiliar place - a really unfamiliar place. He instinctively made a sharp movement that caused him to feel the pain on his side. Grabbing at his wound he noticed the stitching on it - someone had closed it up. Even more confusing things seemed to have kept accumulating by the moment. He had also realized he was not in the ocean nor at the rocks, but in a strange pool of water. It also didn't take long for him to realize that another figure was by him - Makoto.

The strange human that had helped him was asleep in a sitting position next to him. Haru still didn't know why this human was so nice to him or why he even bothered to help him. There must be some sort of alternative motive going on. Could he really fully trust him?

But... this did seem like that 'bathtub' thing he was talking about. And his wound... it looked like it was fixed. Maybe... he really was a good human?

Haru looked back at the sleeping man. He thought he looked silly with his head lulling about and the strange noises he kept making in his sleep. Haru scoffed a bit as he settled back in the tub. He still felt a bit sleepy, so he figured taking another nap in this 'bathtub' wouldn't be so bad.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Makoto stirred from his sleep, noticing his back ached a bit as he yawned and stretched out his arms. Oh yeah, he had fallen asleep sitting up to keep watch on Haru...

Haru...

Makoto's head jerked to the side to check up on the mermaid. He wasn't sure how long he had been asleep so he hoped nothing had happened while he was out.

But much to his relief, Haru seemed to be fine and sound asleep as well. The corners of Makoto's mouth lifted a bit as he watched the mermaid sleep so peacefully. He was glad that Rei's treatment seemed to be working fine.

Makoto dug into his pockets to check the time on his phone. Nine in the morning. He was glad he didn't have to go into work today, because there was the big question of exactly how he was going to support a mermaid living in his apartment. It wasn't like people had mermaids for roommates every day; he had no clue about how they lived.

"Nn..." Makoto heard a slight splash coming from the tub.

Haru had woken up rubbing at his eyes. He seemed to be stretching out his tail as he pushed it out over the edge of the tub and swayed it side-to-side a bit.

"Good morning," Makoto said with a kind voice.

"H-Hello..." Haru mumbled as he glanced over at Makoto.

"Um, are you hungry? Ah, I'm not sure exactly if you can have human food though..." Makoto stood up and pondered. He felt like questions like this would pop up a lot.

"Mackerel..." Haru responded, cupping some of the water in his hand and splashing it over his face.

"Oh! Right, you probably eat a lot of fish, huh?" At least he was on his way to learning about mermaids, if only a little. "Um, I don't have any mackerel at the moment, though. But I have some salmon - is that alright?"

"Salmon is fine," Haru replied plainly.

"Alright!" Makoto said happily. "I'll be right back, then."

He walked out of the bathroom and headed towards his small kitchen. It was small, but it was enough as a single guy. He tried to make food at home as much as possible, but he really wasn't that great of a cook. It was probably not very good that he'd most likely opt to get something at the convenience store, but with the strange hours he worked some nights it was almost a necessity.

It had taken him quite a few tries to learn how to make a few dishes without absolutely destroying them. At this moment, he was thankful that he learned how to cook fish on the stove without burning it to a crisp. Right now he was wishing he had some of the fish that he and his co-worker caught the previous day as he was sure it was much more fresh than the store bought kind, but he hoped Haru would enjoy it nonetheless.

After a bit of cooking, the fish seemed to be seared and seasoned perfectly. He plated the fish, grabbed a pair of chopsticks and headed back into the bathroom.

"Here you are, Haru! I hope you enjoy it," Makoto smiled as he set the plate on the edge of the tub, lying the chopsticks down beside it.

Haru stared at the fish, furrowing his brow a bit. He took a sniff of it and looked up at Makoto. "What did you do to this?"

"Huh? I cooked it... do you not like it cooked this way?" Makoto frowned slightly.

"Cook...?" Haru cocked his head to the side.

"...Ah!" Makoto slapped his hand to his forehead. Of course Haru never cooked his fish - he lived in the ocean! "Err, I'm really sorry, I wasn't thinking when I made this... Humans like to cook their fish most of the time. We do eat it raw sometimes! But this wasn't really a cut of fish you'd make into sashimi..." Makoto hung his head in shame.

Haru's eyes darted from Makoto to the fish. He let out a light sigh.

"It's fine. Its still salmon, right? It should still taste alright," Haru poked at the fillet, completely ignoring the chopsticks. "Its hot... why would you make the fish hot?"

"Um, meat and fish really taste good heated up so that's why humans cook them," Makoto picked up the chopsticks. "I guess I didn't really consider that you wouldn't know how to use these either."

Haru shook is head from side to side as he looked at the chopsticks.

"It's something that might not be easy to do at first for someone who's never done it, but, you hold them like this and then move them like this," Makoto tried demonstrating to the best of his ability.

Haru's brow furrowed again as he reached for the chopsticks, grabbing them out of Makoto's hands and proceeding to stab the fish with them.

Makoto covered his mouth as he stifled a small laugh, watching Haru pick up the skewered fish and bought it to his mouth. Haru gave it a lick and bit off a tiny piece, giving it a few chews with a concentrated face. His eyes widened after he swallowed and he looked up at Makoto with earnest eyes.

"Th-This is good!" His tail slapped at the side of the bathtub.

"Oh! I'm so glad you like it," Makoto was relieved to hear the news.

He watched the mermaid devour the fish in only a few bites and roughly set down the chopsticks. He looked completely content with the meal.

"Humans... even though they're a nuisance, I didn't know they could prepare fish so well..." Haru slid back into the tub and looked up at the ceiling.

"I guess we do have the advantage of being able to use fire," Makoto picked up the empty plate. "Maybe next time you can have sashimi next? Maybe you can have some sushi as well... Ah! And of course I'll get you some mackerel!" Makoto was getting a bit excited over the idea of showing Haru foods he probably never had before.

Haru's head turned and he gave Makoto that wistful gaze again. "Those are all ways humans have fish as well? I really want to try them..."

Makoto was relieved that he seemed to have gotten through to Haru in some way. He supposed the saying 'the best way to a man's heart is through his stomach' was true after all.

"I'll go shopping later and get some for you then!" Makoto said with a smile, standing up from his chair, picking up the plate.

"...Shopping?" Haru gave a look of confusion.

Oh boy, there was still a lot left for them to learn about each other.

* * *

Makoto took advantage of his day off to learn more about Haru and his world and he in turn did the same. He found out that Haru lived in a village far away from the shore he had found him, but it was no problem for them to swim such long distances. He also found out that mermaids actually have small gills, but enjoy the freshness of air once in a while. Not only that, but they can live in both salt and fresh water. Makoto also learned the mermaids have their own language that can only be heard through the water.

"We learn human language in case of emergencies. You'd be surprised how many times my people have had to interact with humans, pretending to be one, in order to convince them they are so they could be left alone," Haru explained.

It was a bit saddening to hear how untrustworthy the mermaids were of humans, and it was even worse to hear that there was good reason behind it. There were apparently instances of cruel treatment of mermaids who were unfortunate enough to get caught, just because they were something humans found bizarre and strange.

"We do all we can to survive and live peacefully..." Haru said quietly, running his hand through the water and looking down solemnly.

Makoto frowned as he looked at Haru's face. He felt a clenching pain in his chest just from seeing him so sad. "I'm sorry, Haru, if only there was something I could do..."

"Its alright, its not so bad. I've rarely had to deal with humans up until this point and most of my life has been a happy one," Haru shrugged, his gaze settling back onto Makoto. "Plus you've helped me - I guess not all humans are terrible."

Makoto kindly smiled, "I'm glad I've finally earned your trust! Don't worry, as soon as you're all healed up I'll take you back to the ocean. I'm sure everyone in your village is worried about you."

Haru nodded, "Its typical for some of us to be out days at a time but I'm sure after a while they will start to worry." Haru gently looked down at his wound and touched it lightly. "How did you fix this by the way?"

"Oh, remember that friend I told you about? He rushed over as soon as he heard you were hurt and he fixed you up right away... I'm really sorry I didn't ask your permission first but you were unconscious and I was afraid... A-Anyway, he won't tell anyone about you, okay? He's a really good guy and he promised he wouldn't," Makoto could tell Haru was a bit uncomfortable about someone else finding out about him.

"I'm going to have to trust you, I guess. It already happened so there's not much I can do about it now," Haru's eyes turned away as he went back to staring into the water.

Makoto hoped that he didn't make Haru feel uncomfortable, but he really had no choice. The unimaginable could've happened if Rei didn't come over.

"...How did you end up getting that wound in the first place? I don't want you to recall bad memories though..."

"Its fine," Haru rested his head against the wall of the tub. "I was careless," he shrugged. "I knew it was feeding time for the sharks but I still decided to go out looking for fish by myself. I had never had too many problems with sharks, but a hungry shark is something you should never approach..." Haru gently touched his side. "I was getting a bit greedy with the fish too so it was only a matter of time before a shark got fed up with me. They're somewhat mindless so it didn't matter much to it that it might've been a little too aggressive with its bite. I started losing a lot of blood and it was quite painful, so I did my best to swim away - sharks don't eat nor like the taste of mermaids, but the smell of blood will at least entice them to give a nibble. And if one was hungry enough... Anyway, next thing I know I was washed up on shore, wondering if that was how I was going to die..." Haru gazed distantly as his sentence dropped off at the end.

"That's so awful... you must've been so scared..." Makoto had the urge to comfort Haru in some way but wasn't sure how.

"It was my own fault," Haru shrugged again, as if his life wasn't so important.

"I'm glad I found you then," Makoto smiled.

Haru glanced in his direction and looked away after a moment.

"How about I change your water, Haru? How long can you go without it?" Makoto asked, trying to change the subject.

"Maybe about 20 minutes..." Haru said quietly.

"That should give us plenty of time. I'm sure you're wanting some new water, right?"

"It'd be nice to have some new water, yes," Haru nodded.

Makoto grabbed a towel and lay it over the chair. After that he stood over the tub and held his hands out towards Haru.

"Alright, I'll help you get out of the bath so I can change the water," Makoto said with an encouraging expression.

"I can get out myself..." Haru said, placing his hands on the edge of the tub.

"Huh? But, you don't have legs..."

"I can do it..." Haru lifted himself nearly all the way up.

"Haru, be careful!" Makoto said worriedly, slightly panicking.

"I'm... fine!" Haru swung the lower half of his body over the tub. "Ow!" He winced in pain as he felt his wound throb and one of his hands slipped off the edge of the tub.

"Haru!" Makoto shouted, lunging for Haru's torso before it slammed against the bathroom floor. "Jeeze, you aren't healed yet, be more careful!" He scolded as he placed his arms underneath Haru.

Haru hissed from the pain in his side and no longer protested as Makoto lifted him onto the chair.

"Please don't do that again!" Makoto said, less angry and more like a worried mother. He checked to see if the wound had opened up. Luckily it looked the same.

Haru looked away, puffing out his cheeks a bit.

"Does it hurt?" Makoto asked in a much calmer voice. He reached out to touch Haru's wound before it was quickly slapped away. He retracted his hand back to his side quickly.

"... It just hurts a little from moving like that, I'll be fine," Haru still refused to look in Makoto's direction.

"Alright... just please let me know if it starts to hurt too much, okay?" Makoto tried smiling for Haru but was ignored.

Makoto went to work on draining the tub and refilling it, making sure the bathwater would be maintained at a comfortable temperature.

"Ready to go back in?"

Haru nodded only slightly but still decided not to speak up.

"Make sure you hold onto me, okay?" Makoto said softly, wrapping an arm around Haru's back.

Although Haru seemed to be in a sour mood, hey obeyed Makoto and clung to the back of his neck as Makoto's other arm lifted him from under his fin. Slowly and gently, Makoto lowered Haru back into the tub with the fresh water.

"There!" Makoto said after Haru was safely back in the tub. "I bet that feels nice, huh?"

"Mm..." Haru sounded, moving his hands slowly through the water.

"Well... I'll think I'll go buy some food, alright? I'm going to have to leave you alone for a while. You'll be okay right?" Makoto asked as he dried his hands on a towel.

Haru still avoided eye contact with Makoto and slowly sunk under the water, completely submerging his head. Even though Makoto now got to see how Haru's gills worked, he frowned at the step backward they seemed to have taken. He was sure Haru did not want to seem like a burden or like he was unable to do something - Makoto was sure that must be some sort of blow to his pride - but everything was different on land. Makoto was sure he wouldn't be doing nearly as well if their roles were reversed.

"I'll buy lots of fish for you, okay?" Makoto tried to lighten Haru's mood but there was no indication that was working.

Makoto hoped that tonight's dinner might cheer Haru up a bit.

* * *

Makoto was feeling better himself as he made his way home with all sorts of foods he thought Haru might like in his grocery bags. Of course, fresh fish was a bit more expensive, but he found himself not minding splurging a bit on his new friend. He really hoped to improve Haru's mood in the process too.

"Oh, Rin!" Makoto waved with a bag in his hand.

A nearby police officer turned around at the mention of his name.

"Ah, Makoto," he nodded as he watched Makoto trot up to him.

"I didn't know you were on duty today," Makoto commented on seeing him in full uniform.

Makato had gotten to know Rin through their jobs. Since he was a firefighter and Rin was an officer, they had found themselves running into each other often in this small town.

"Yeah, we got a new guy down at the station so my schedule changed a bit to help him out with getting used to things," Rin replied.

"Oh?" Makoto looked around.

"He's back at the station right now. We're on break so I was getting some coffee," Rin held up two cups of coffee.

"Ah, I shouldn't keep you too long then," Makoto held up his grocery bags, "I've got to get these home soon as well."

"Sure thing, we should go out for a drink some time," Rin nudged Makoto on his way past him.

"That sound great, see you later, Rin!" Makoto waved again.

Rin gave another nod, "I'll call you or something."

Makoto's apartment was close so it took only a few minutes for him to arrive. He set down the groceries in the kitchen and went to the bathroom to check on Haru.

Haru seemed to have resurfaced since he left, but only spared a glance in Makoto's direction.

"Are you getting hungry? I bought some really good fish so I hope you like it," Makoto smiled kindly.

Haru crossed his arms, still refusing to look in Makoto's direction, "Maybe..."

"I'll go get some ready then," Makoto tried keeping up a cheery demeanor despite Haru's gloomy attitude.

On the way back from the store, an idea crossed his mind about how to get Haru out of the bathroom once in a while. It must be terribly boring to be in there all day. Not only that, it was a little hard to use the toilet or the bath with Haru in there at the same time (Makoto had to resort to using the restroom at the store for now).

He walked to his small closet and dug through a few things until he found it - a decent sized inflatable pool and pump. His younger brother and sister would sometimes come over to visit, and during the summer he'd sometimes blow the pool up for them in the little community area of the apartment if he got called into work (he was always on call - even on his off days) and couldn't take them to the beach. He didn't necessarily feel safe having them go to the beach by themselves, so he bought the pool for them to at least have something to do.

"I think this'll work fine," Makoto said to himself, lying it out in front of the television and pushing his table over.

With the pump it took no time to inflate, but then there was the issue of filling it up with water. Luckily he still had the pumps from the fire station (he really needed to take those back ASAP) so filling it up wasn't too bad either.

After that, Makoto plated the tuna sashimi and set it on the table next to the pool.

"Haru, do you mind coming out of the tub to eat with me?" Makoto asked from the doorway of the bathroom.

Haru glanced momentarily in Makoto's direction, "I'm fine here..."

"But I want to eat with you!" Makoto said cheerily, walking closer to the tub. "Haru, I'm not sure why you're feeling so down - but this is all new to you, right? I'm sure you miss your home a lot... so I promise I'll take you back as soon as I can. But... until then, I'd like to get to know you better and become friends, okay?"

Haru looked up and saw a sincere smile on Makoto's face. "Friends..."

"Mhm," Makoto nodded.

"Why would you want to be my friend?" Haru asked, crossing his arms.

"Because I enjoy being with Haru and learning about him," Makoto knelt down so they were at eye level.

Haru's face reddened slightly and turned his head away from Makoto. "You're a surprisingly simple human..."

Makoto chuckled, "I guess I kind of am, huh?" He stood up and held out a hand towards Haru. "So, will you come out of the tub and eat with me? I've prepared a place where you can sit."

Haru hesitated for a moment, his eyes going from Makoto's hand to the wall. "...Fine," he huffed, grabbing onto Makoto's hand.

"Yay~," Makoto said happily lifting Haru up and out of the water.

Makoto made sure not to hit Haru's head on the door frame of the bathroom and walked over to the pool.

"I figured sitting out here will be a lot less boring than sitting in the tub," Makoto carefully lowered Haru down.

Haru didn't say anything, but it was obvious that he was already liking the pool better. He could stretch his fin out and the plastic probably felt better than the hard tub. He also seemed curious about the new surroundings. After all, he had not seen the rest of the apartment except the bathroom.

"Oh, here, want to see what television is like?" Makoto asked. He had told Haru about it during their conversation earlier that day.

Haru simply nodded. Makoto picked up the remote and turned the television on, causing Haru to jump a bit in surprise at the sudden noise and colors that came from it. It seemed like a drama was on at the moment.

"W-Wow..." Haru looked on in amazement. "They... can't see us, can they?"

Makoto laughed a bit, "No, not at all. Remember how I said people get recorded and they put the recordings on television? That's what this is. This isn't happening right now, its more like... a memory, I guess?" Makoto scratched his head, trying to think of decent way to explain this. "You can probably learn a lot about humans by watching television so maybe you should try watching some when I'm not able to be at home."

"Nn..." Haru seemed to only be half paying attention as he was now entranced by the program.

"Oh, Haru!" Makoto lightly nudged his shoulder. "Here is some sashimi - you like tuna, right?" He held the plate out to Haru

"Yes..." Food seemed to have done the trick to divert his attention from the television.

Haru picked up a piece and placed it in his mouth.

"Mm!" The expression on his face was a bit childish and Makoto couldn't help but find it pretty cute.

"Eat as much as you want - but try not to get full, I bought some mackerel today as well," Makoto set the plate back on the table.

"Mackerel..." Haru looked up with hopeful eyes.

"I'm going to try cooking it like that salmon so I hope you like it," Makoto said as he walked towards the kitchen.

He was glad that Haru seemed to have cheered up again. It was also nice that he could keep an eye on him from he kitchen. Although he was sure Haru wouldn't cause any trouble as long as he had that tuna and the show remained on.

After successfully cooking the fish, Makoto walked out of the kitchen with two plates in hand.

"Here you are, Haru," Makoto set down a plate of Mackerel with a bit of rice and vegetables. "I'm not sure if you'll like the other things, but if you feel like eating some human foods I'm more than happy to make you some." He also gave Haru a fork - the chopsticks didn't seem to work out last time.

"I have actually tried some human food," Haru commented, picking up the fork and examining it. "I've also seen this thing before as well."

"Oh, really?" Makoto asked, intrigued.

"Yes, there are a few people in my village who sometimes go to harbors and brave getting caught in order to take a few things. Because humans sometimes have fresh food that we enjoy - I like a lot of the fruits that they bring back." Haru stabbed at the vegetables. "So I'm sure I may like some of these as well."

"That's so interesting! It must be dangerous for them to go get food like that though," Makoto began eating his food.

"Yes, but its worth it to feed everyone," Haru replied.

Makoto watched as he next took a bite of the mackerel, hoping the reaction was positive. As Haru chewed, his tail swished back and forth excitedly.

"Makoto!"

The man in question was a bit shocked - it was the first time Haru had said his name.

"I-I have never had mackerel like this!" He said in a surprised and almost serious tone.

"Do you like it then...?" Makoto wasn't sure what to make of his reaction.

"Yes!" Haru was showing the most emotion he had since meeting him.

Makoto laughed and enjoyed watching Haru eat the rest of his meal quickly. He looked even more content than earlier that day once he ate everything on the plate.

They spent the next hour watching the another drama that came on after the previous one ended. Not much talking got done since Haru seemed to be very much absorbed into what was going on - but he did ask many questions between the commercials.

The drama seemed to be a romance. Nothing terribly exciting and new since it seemed to follow the typical formula any romance drama would, but Haru watched it with observant eyes.

"I love you!" The man on TV shouted whilst standing in the pouring rain.

"If you loved me, then why did you leave me so many years ago?" The woman shouted back from her apartment window, tears streaming down her face.

"Because I was no good for you then! I had no job, no money - and there was Satoshi! I know he liked you and I thought he was better for you. But I was a fool to leave you!"

"You were a fool! The only one I loved - that I ever loved - was you!" The woman's tears kept leaking from her eyes.

"Please give me another chance!" The man dug in his pocket. "Marry me!" He held up a small box with a ring inside it.

At that the woman gasped and left the windowsill. A few seconds passed and all hope seemed to be lost until she suddenly came bursting through the apartment doors, running up to the man, leaping into his arms as they embraced.

"Yes!" She said and brought their lips together in a kiss.

Music played as the camera zoomed out and eventually the credits rolled.

"...Huh..." Makoto turned his head to look at Haru, who had a slightly confused look on his face.

"What is it?" Makoto asked.

"... What is 'marry'?" Haru looked over at Makoto.

"Ah, its when two people love each other. Sometimes they want to spend the rest of their lives together so they decide to get married. When they get married it means they made an agreement to be with each other forever," Even if some marriages aren't that rosy, Makoto thought.

"Oh. When mermaids mate, we stay with our partners for life. I guess that is the same as marriage then?"

"I would say that's basically the same, yes," Makoto nodded. "Do you fall in love with the your mates then."

"I suppose that is the word," Haru replied. "The word in my language that we would say is probably the closest to 'love'. Mermaids, when they court, base it on how they feel about the person. And the other person must also feel the same way. We also feel the need to take care of the other person and stay with them even after having children. So yes, I guess that is love."

"That sounds really sweet," Makoto smiled. "Do you have a mate, Haru?"

Haru shook his head. "I haven't felt like anyone was special enough to mate with. I like many people in my village, but they are just friends. Besides, it hasn't been very long since I have come of age for when my people begin to seek out a partner." Haru looked over at Makoto again. "Do you have a mate? You are very strong and have nice features, also caring - I'm sure there are other humans who have shown interest."

"Ah, uh," Makoto blushed slightly "I don't... I'm not really seeking one at the moment," Makoto laughed nervously.

"Hm," Haru didn't seem very phased by asking personal questions. "Also, what was that they did at the end?"

"Hm? Which part?"

"When they put their mouths together," Haru brought his finger to his lips. "What was that?"

"Ah! Mermaids don't do that?" Makoto found it a bit odd, despite their differences, with half a body being similar to humans they had many of the same human behaviors.

Haru shook his head.

"Well, it's called a 'kiss'. People who are in love usually do that to show how much they like each other," As Makoto tried to explain, he saw Haru mimicking what he thought was a kiss, puckering his lips to no one in particular. Makoto couldn't help but laugh.

"This is strange," Haru commented.

"Well, its a bit different when you're actually doing it with someone else," Makoto said.

"So Makoto has kissed before?" Haru asked with genuine curiosity.

"Ahh, I suppose I have..." It was something as innocent as kissing, but he still felt a little embarrassed to be discussing it with Haru.

"But you said you do not have a mate," Haru seemed confused. "And you said you do it with the person you love."

"Err," Makoto scratched his head as he tried to think. "Well, people date... I guess that's what they do to figure out if they like a person enough to want to marry them. When people date, they often kiss."

"Oh..." Haru seemed to be writing mental notes.

"But, sometimes people kiss family members - like, not on the lips but maybe on the cheek," Makoto pointed to his cheek. "Sometimes friends will kiss on the cheek, but I suppose that's not as common - especially not here."

"Seems complicated," Haru sighed.

"It kind of is," Makoto smiled.

"I guess we kind of have something like that," Haru lifted his fin. "When someone has a mate, they rub their tails together to show affection." He set his fin back down. "Its something you only do with your mate, though."

"That does seem like kissing," Makoto commented. "Your fin is very beautiful, too."

At that Haru's face turned quite red. "Its not... that great..." He sunk a little bit into the pool.

"Haha, Haru, did it make you flustered for me to comment on it?" Makoto teased.

"... No one has ever said my fin is beautiful... Its very plain compared to others," Haru pouted a bit.

"Well, I think its a very beautiful blue. I may not know what other mermaid's fins look like, but as far as I'm concerned yours is the best!" Makoto smiled. For some reason he enjoyed watching Haru's reactions.

"St-Stop!" Haru, moved his tail into the water out of Makoto's sight. "Its embarrassing..."

"So is it too much for me to say that I also think your hair is beautiful?" Makoto asked, running a few fingers through the dark, black locks.

"Yes!" Haru swatted his hand away, his face an even deeper shade of red.

Makoto laughed and was met with a wave of water to his face.

"Haha, okay, okay! I'll stop! Some of the stuff in my apartment doesn't do so well when soaked with water so I won't do it anymore," Makoto pushed his wet hair out of his face, still laughing.

"You better not," Haru furrowed his brow and crossed his arms, refusing to look at Makoto.

"Ah, I'm all wet now," Makoto said in a more amused than annoyed tone. "Its also getting pretty late. You can sleep out here if you want?"

Haru seemed to calm down a bit as his face was not quite so red. "I think I like it out here better."

"That's good, because I was thinking you could stay out here from now on. Unfortunately I have to go back to work tomorrow so I'll be gone for most of the day," Makoto stood up and gathered the dishes.

"Oh, work is something you said many humans have to do, right?" Haru recalled.

"Yeah, so I'm sorry we can't hang out every day like this," Makoto placed everything in the sink and began to wash them. "But I'll leave the television on for you and I'll teach you how to use the remote."

"Alright," Haru replied. He turned onto his stomach and rested his head on the edge of the pool to watch Makoto. He let out a yawn.

After Makoto finished the dishes, he walked back out to see Haru barely able to keep his eyes open.

"Good night, Haru," Makoto picked up the remote and turned off the TV.

"Mm..." Haru mumbled and closed his eyes.

Makoto smiled and shut off the lights before getting ready for bed himself. Having Haru around was surprisingly fun. He figured he'd probably miss him when he'd have to go back. Makoto wondered if it was possible to ever go visit Haru in the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the wait wasn't too long! I also hope you enjoyed this chapter - I tried not to make it too ramble-y with portraying how little Haru knows about the world above the ocean, but it was kind of necessary I suppose? Despite that I tried to make this an interesting chapter. I also somewhat struggled with writing this, because I have lots planned for the story yet I was unsure in how to segue into it. So I apologize if it seemed messy. v_v But I hope you continue to read and enjoy the story!
> 
> Thank you very much for all the support and see you next time! :*


	3. Chapter 3

"I'm home, Haru," Makoto called out after shutting the door behind him.

"Welcome back," Haru leaned over the edge of the inflatable pool to watch Makoto as he took off his shoes.

"You've really gotten used to living here, huh?" Makoto smiled as he walked to the kitchen with the grocery bags in his hands.

"I've seen people greeting others when they return home all the time on television so I want to do it as well," Haru explained. His eyes settled on the grocery bags that Makoto set down on the counter.

"Did you learn anything new today?" Makoto asked as he pulled out a fresh fillet of neatly packaged mackerel. Buying all this fish was starting to get pricey, but he felt like it was worth it.

"I watched people cook. It seems fun and everything looked tasty - do you like to cook, Makoto?" Haru asked as he watched the fish eagerly

"Hmm, being able to cook your own meals is nice, but I'm not that great at cooking many things," Makoto placed the fish in the fridge. "You must be hungry, though. I hope you don't mind eating something pre-made today. I picked up some sushi so I think you'll like it."

"I don't mind," Haru shook his head. He assumed the fish Makoto put in the fridge might be for his lunch tomorrow.

Makoto opened up another bag and pulled out the sushi in take-out boxes.

"There's a sushi place I really enjoy going to so I like going to pick something up from there when I want to eat something decent but don't have time to cook," Makoto walked out to the living room and sat beside Haru, handing the mermaid his portion.

There was something really nice about coming home, having someone greet you, and being able to sit and eat dinner together, sharing small talk and stories as the night went on. And it was a plus whenever that person praised your cooking.

Makoto was initially unsure about how he was going to manage having a mermaid in his apartment, but it was going surprisingly well. And to his relief Haru was adjusting very fast.

"Oh, Haru, do you want to take a warm bath tonight? I know you really liked it last time," Makoto suggested.

The other day he moved Haru to the bath so he could replace the water in the pool (he ended up keeping one of the portable fire hoses since it had a suction option to remove water. He hoped he wouldn't get in much trouble if someone found out...). Makoto had the idea to let Haru soak in a warm bubble bath and he seemed to have really enjoyed himself.

"C-Could I?" Haru looked at Makoto a little expectantly.

"Of course!" Makoto smiled.

After they ate their dinner, Makoto went to start up the bath, making sure the water was nice and warm. He poured a bit of bath soap in for just the right amount of bubbles. Makoto could admit that he enjoyed a relaxing bath from time to time - work was really hard on him! So he didn't really feel silly for having something like bath soap lying around the house.

"Alright, Haru, the bath is ready," Makoto came out to the living room as Haru was watching some sort of variety show.

"Mh," Haru nodded and held up his hands.

That was a habit that Haru had gotten into that was so unusually cute, but Makoto knew he'd probably get a fin across the face if he ever commented on it. Instead he endured the almost childlike way Haru awaited to be picked up and carried by him without saying a word.

"Here we go," Makoto said as he lowered Haru into the bath.

Haru let out a long sigh as his body emerged into the water. He ducked his head beneath the surface for a good while and came back up.

"Feel good?" Makoto asked.

"Yes, thank you," Haru said quietly as his eyes closed.

"Do you mind if I sit and talk with you for a while?" Makoto asked.

"I don't mind," Haru replied.

Makoto grabbed his folding chair that he kept by the bathroom and sat down.

"I talked to Rei today. He said its been about a week so you might be able to get your stitches out soon - isn't that great?" Makoto smiled warmly. "Of course, he said he still wanted to exam your injuries and your physical condition just in case."

"Mh, that's fine," Haru replied shortly.

"You don't mind of Rei comes over again, do you?" Makoto didn't want to make Haru uncomfortable, especially since he wasn't awake the last time his friend came over, but Rei knew a lot more about this kind of stuff than he did.

"It can't be helped. Plus he already knows of me," Haru shrugged. "He's your friend so I'll trust him."

Makoto chuckled a bit, "Thank you, Haru, I just wanted to make sure you're all healed for when you go home!"

Makoto felt a little sad thinking that soon Haru wouldn't be staying at his apartment anymore. He had really gotten used to having someone else there with him. But Haru probably missed his home even more.

"Yeah," Haru nodded, moving his hand slowly through the water.

"Is there anything else you could tell me about your home? I'd love to know more," Makoto leaned in a bit.

"...What would you like to know exactly? I could tell you about the laws of our village but its not very exciting... Our daily lives are pretty normal. The only thing you might find interesting is what we do for recreation or the lore we pass down."

"Oh, the lore sounds interesting! Is it like, stories about how mermaids came to be?" Makoto asked excitedly.

"Actually... one of the most popular lore is about that, yes," Haru nodded, "Although its mostly something children believe in."

"I want to hear it!" Makoto looked at Haru with eagerness.

Haru let out a short, amused huff, "Fine, I'll tell you about it."

* * *

Once upon a time, there was a fish so beautiful she was the envy of the sea. Her scales shined brightly and the colors were so vivid - even predators felt it a shame to eat such a beautiful creature. Although she was envied she was always loved by everyone, because she was also very kindhearted. She would help in anyway she could and always tried making friends with every fish she met. Many fish loved her and her beauty, and she loved them as well.

Her life was seemingly perfect, but the beautiful fish often felt a bit lonely at times. Odd, when she had so many friends, but there was something that she longed for but could never have.

One day, she had gotten close to the surface of the waters while out exploring. It was always a bit dangerous since the creatures above the sea were so unpredictable, but she enjoyed seeing what the world looked like beyond the water.

Her gills nearly ruffled at the sight she had seen that day - a young man sitting at a dock, looking out into the water. He seemed to have noticed her right away and her heart pounded in fear that he might try to capture her.

"What a beautiful fish!" The man gasped in surprise.

The fish wasn't quite sure what the man said, but she recognized the expression on his face was one of happiness.

"I've never seen one quite like it..." The man stared down at the water, eagerly trying to get a better look. "Hello, there!" He gave a wave.

The fish was still a bit frightened, but she sensed no menacing intent from the man. She cautiously waved her tail through the water side-to-side to see what his reaction might be.

"Oh, you waved back!" The man continued to smile.

He looked behind him and around him, as if searching for someone. This made the fish a bit nervous once again.

"I hope no one else sees you - they might try to make you as their pet if they do," The man continued to talk, but the fish still could not understand what he said.

"Unfortunately, I have to go for today. I hope I can see you again?" The man waved once more and stood up, walking down the dock and away from sight.

The man's exit was a sigh of relief, but it was almost a bit sad. The fish knew that the man had no intentions of harming her, but she had always been told to be wary of the creatures above the surface - especially humans.

But as she returned to her home that night, she could not stop thinking about the man.

To get it off of her mind, she want back to the dock around the same time the next day. There was no guarantee that the man would return, but there he was - sitting at the same place and looking longingly at the water.

"You're here today as well!" The man once again smiled when he realized the fish had returned. "Could it be you actually understand me?"

The fish would never understand what this man was saying, but she enjoyed the happiness on his face whenever he saw her.

Because of this, the fish returned day after day at the same time. The man would sometimes talk for a while, and she enjoyed it even if she never knew what he said. Sometimes he would smile and sometimes he would look sad. The fish hated when the man looked sad and wished that she could do something for him. So the only thing she could do was return the next day, because the biggest smile she would see him have was when he noticed her arrival.

The fish began to realize that her longing to want to understand the man grew more and more each day. She longed to be able to talk to him, to sit on the dock with him, and to comfort him when he made that sad face. Every time they parted her heart ached and she lived day by day at the thought of seeing him again.

Suddenly, one day he no longer appeared at the dock. The fish thought that maybe he was busy with something, but one day turned into a week, which turned into several weeks.

The beautiful fish's friends seemed to notice the lack of pep in her demeanor and the lack of vibrancy in the colors of her scales. They worried about why she was down and tried to comfort her. All she could do was assure her friends that she was fine - she never wanted to cause problems for them.

When nearly a month had passed. The fish waited at the dock until nightfall with no visitors in sight. With a heavy heart, she began her lonely swim back home.

Suddenly, a beam of light shot through the waters in front of her. The fish was surprised at the sudden phenomena and looked on in shock. As the light grew dimmer, it revealed the ethereal image of a fish far more beautiful than her. Her scales were colored all the colors of the rainbow and even some colors the fish had never seen before. Her long, flowing fins were like silk shawls across her body. It was like she was a goddess.

"The one you love is gravely ill - do you want to see him before the inevitable happens and he passes from this world?" The goddess spoke to her in a melodious voice.

"What has happened to him?" The fish asked, desperation in her voice.

"The one you love has been slowly dying since their birth. It was only a matter of time before their illness consumed them," the goddess replied. "I have the powers to turn you into a human and allow you to see him one last time."

"Yes! I will do anything!" The fish felt like it was only a matter of time before she started to cry, but she must see the man again.

"There is one thing you should consider," the goddess continued. "Once you are human, you will never be able to turn back into your original form."

The words caught in the fish's throat. Did that mean she had to be human forever? She would never have her beautiful scales and her fins ever again?

The fish closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath. All this time she had longed to be with the man that waited at the dock for her every day. She spent every waking hour wishing she could talk to him and every dream she dreamt of listening to his stories and making him smile. The fish would never have a chance to do this - until now. Even as he lie there, his life slowly draining from him, she wanted to be by his side until the last moment.

"I will do it," the fish said with firm determination.

"Very well," the goddess said.

The fish's vision went blank and moments later she found herself up on the dock she had looked at from below the surface so many times.

"You must hurry," the voice of the goddess called out, although she was nowhere to be seen. "You do not have much time left."

The fish was now a human woman, fully dressed in human clothing and her mind was overtaken with senses and knowledge she had never known before. The ability to stand on two legs, the ability to think in the language she had never been able to understand before, the ability to run on her two legs, and the knowledge of where the one she loved lived.

Without knowing exactly how she got there, she arrived at a small cottage near the edge of the town. She took deep breaths in the cool air that stung her human lungs, and as if something was controlling her body, she knocked on the door to the strange house.

An older woman opened the door, looking solemn and sad, her eyes puffy. "Who are you?" She asked.

"I-I came to see him," the fish said, speaking a bizarre language that she could not understand how she had learned.

"Him? Do you mean my son?" The woman looked puzzled.

"I heard he is sick - I must see him!" The fish pleaded with the woman.

The woman did not say a word for a moment, wondering if the stranger that had showed up was really an acquaintance of her son.

"Fine... I will let you see my son. But if he asks you to leave you must go," the woman said.

"I will leave if he does not wish to see me," the fish replied. She knew that the man probably would not know who she was, but if only she could get a glimpse of him one last time...

The woman led her into the house. It was quite small and the fish could see a man standing over a bed.

"Excuse me doctor, but my son has a visitor," the woman called out.

"I'm not so sure he's in any condition for visitors," the doctor replied.

"Please allow me just to see him and say hello - that is all I want," the fish said with desperation in her eyes.

The doctor seemed to have felt her honest yearning and simply nodded, stepping aside to reveal the young man lying in bed with his eyes closed.

The fish walked over towards the bed slowly and sat in the chair beside the bed. The once vibrant and lively young man now looked tired and pale. She could feel warm, wet tears stream down her face - a sensation she had never felt before, but at the same time it felt very familiar.

The man stirred a bit at the presence of another person beside his bed. With half lidded eyes, he looked up at his visitor.

The fish did not know what to do, and simply sat there, waiting for a reaction.

The man studied her for a moment and gave a faint smile.

"You... actually came to see me," his voice was raspy but the smile did not fade from his face.

The fish was taken aback - was he mistaking her for someone else? Could he be delusional from his sickness?

"I'm sorry... I never returned to the dock..."

At those words the fish felt even more tears stream down her face. She reached out her hand to the man's and held it in her's. It was a sensation she had longed to feel - the touch of the man she loved, but it was a solemn wish come true.

"Its okay... I forgive you," the fish said quietly, wiping away at her tears.

The man gave her hand a faint squeeze. "I feel like I might already be dead - because I thought the only way we'd be able to speak to each other like this would be in a different world," He let out a soft laugh and looked back up at the woman. "If that's so then I don't mind dying."

The fish sobbed even more. Even the mother had begun to cry who was also standing in the room with them.

"I do not want you to die," the fish said in between tears. She was finally able to be with him and now she could feel him slowly slipping away.

"Its okay," the man said weakly, "We will meet again, I'm sure of it," he gave her one last smile before closing his eyes, taking in a deep breath. "Please promise me that you will find your happiness."

The fish shook her head, "But you are my happiness!"

"If you spent the rest of your life in the dark, then I would be sad," the boy replied, "I want you to be as happy as you are beautiful - please promise me as my last wish."

The fish resisted a bit and then nodded, "I will..." She clasped his hand tightly.

"I'm glad..." His voice was barely a whisper.

His mother rushed up to him, holding onto his other hand, crying as she watched the life slip away from him.

The doctor examined the man and announced his passing. The house filled with tears and sadness. The fish could not help but feel miserable despite being able to finally be with the person she loved, if only for a moment.

"I... think it might be best if I speak with madame alone, if you do not mind," the doctor suggested to the fish.

"Yes... I understand," the fish nodded, still wiping her tears away.

"Wait one moment, miss," the woman called out to the fish. "I have never met you, but you must've been someone special to my son. He had very few friends since he was so sickly, and in his last few months of life he seemed to be happier than ever. I wondered what it was, but my son would just say he was at the docks all day - but he must've been meeting with you," the woman paused, squeezing her hands together. "Thank you for making my son so happy." The woman dug into the pockets of her dress and pulled out a small book.

"My son enjoyed drawing, so I thought you might like something to remind you of him," she handed the book to the fish. "These are a few of his drawings over the past few months. I think he'd want you to have them."

The fish thanked the woman and gave her her condolences and left the house.

The sun was beginning to rise in the distance once she exited the cottage. With a heavy heart, the fish had no where to go but the shore. She clutched the book close to her as she made her journey. What was she to do now? She could never become a fish again and she had nowhere to go.

The fish found a spot on the shore and sat down holding the book that was now her only possession. Getting the instinct to open it, she flipped open the cover and saw a page filled with drawings. She flipped a few more and stopped - there was a drawing of her. A drawing of her as a fish and the pages after that were filled with even more likenesses of her.

But one caught her eye and she stopped to marvel and how wonderful it was. It looked like a human woman, but half of her body was as a fish. Her fingers traced the page as she thought of how lovely it would've been if even half of her was human at the time he had met the man - then maybe they would've had more time together. She stared at the drawings of the half-human, half-fish in awe and the sight of them healed her heart a little. To know that the man was thinking about her as much as she thought of him warmed her to the core.

"Do you wish to return to the sea?" The voice of the goddess suddenly sounded in front of the fish and grabbed her attention.

"But, you said I could no longer go back to my original form," the fish replied.

"That is true, you cannot," the goddess said, "But I may have it in my powers to transform you into that." She pointed at the page in the open book of the drawing the man had made.

"Can you really?" The fish asked in awe.

"I can try, but I can make no promises," the goddess said.

The fish found the drawing beautiful, and it was something her beloved had made. If she were to become the being in the drawing, it would be as if he were always with her.

"I will do it," she nodded.

"As you wish," the goddess said.

The pages of the book were torn out of the book one by one and floated around the goddess. A bright flash of light shined and all of the pages were brought together, and the mermaid could feel herself be consumed by the pages like a blanket. Yet another blurring of her vision and a flash of light filled the fish's vision. When she awoke, she was shocked to look down and see a large, beautiful fin where her human legs once were. She touched it cautiously, feeling the scales that were much more familiar to the touch.

She quickly slipped into the sea and swam back to her home, swimming with ease as if she had done this every day of her life. When she arrived at the town, everyone seemed to be in a bustle. When they spotted her, they were shocked at the sight they saw.

"Its me, friends!" She announced.

The other fish realized right away that it was their friend with the beautiful scales, but they were baffled as to why she looked the way she did. She was bombarded with question after question and could not keep up with all of them.

"This young fish has suffered love and heartache, and this is the result of it," the voice of the goddess silenced everyone as she appeared in front of them. "Her form is now a tribute to her loyalty of love. Is she not even more beautiful than before?"

There was a mumble amongst the crowd. Many of them thought she was and always would be beautiful, but all of them seemed to be impressed with her new form and found it mesmerizing.

One of the younger fish spoke up. "Will she not be lonely being the only who looks this way?"

The beautiful fish was shocked by the question. She had not thought of that since she felt that her form was a gift from the man she loved. But there really was no one else in the entire ocean that was like her. She was sure she would still keep her friends, but life would definitely be different.

"Would you also like to take on this form?" The goddess asked the young fish.

"Can I really?" The little one asked excitedly.

"If it is alright," the goddess looked at the beautiful fish for permission.

"I-I do not need you all to change how you look for my sake!" She said, not wanting to feel obligated.

"But we love you!" Many of them shouted. "We always will, but we don't want you to feel lonely again!"

The beautiful fish was taken aback. She truly had wonderful friends. Maybe these wonderful friends would be the happiness the man had wished for her. Maybe she could start a new life with all of her friends that surrounded her with warmth and a peaceful life.

"If you all want to, I won't stop any of you," she smiled.

Almost unanimously they all agreed on joining the beautiful fish on her new form. In front of her eyes, all of her friends began to transform into similar images of the sketches - human-like on top and their fish scales and fin on the bottom.

They all celebrated their new forms and rejoiced in their union as a new species.

"Since this beautiful individual sacrificed everything to be with the one they loved, I will now allow such a sacrifice for all of you to make of your own will," the goddess announced. "All of you have the power to rid yourselves of your scales and walk on land if your desire is strong enough. Unfortunately, you, my dear," she looked at the beautiful fish, "cannot transform any longer."

She shook her head, "I am happy the way I am now. I have decided that this is the happiness that I will have."

The crowd murmured again. They wondered why they would every want to rid themselves of their new forms, but the jubilation continued as they celebrated their new lives. The goddess left quietly with a smile, and the fish that sacrificed everything for love got another chance to start anew. The new form her body was in was thanks to the young man on the dock, and she would forever have him as a part of her as she lived a happy life with her friends.

* * *

Makoto sniffed and wiped a falling tear from his cheek. "That was so sad yet so beautiful! At least she was happy at the end," He said in a cracking voice.

"It is quite a common story so I've become pretty used to hearing it," Haru was a little amused over Makoto's emotional reaction.

"Do you think that story is actually true?" Makoto asked.

"It seems like just a story... So I don't think it could be. No one really knows how our people have come to be, so it was probably made up to tell curious children," Haru explained.

"Ah, I wish it were," Makoto looked a little dreamy-eyed. Imagine if magical things like that really existed. Do you think mermaids can actually turn human? Has it ever happened!?" He asked eagerly.

"Even amongst the elders of all the villages I know of... there are no instances of mermaids turning human," Haru replied. "For a very long time we've avoided as much contact with humans as possible, so its very doubtful any have fallen in love with a human. Or desired badly enough to become one."

"Hmm," Makoto thought. "Actually, its very strange, humans have a somewhat similar story."

"Really?" Haru looked at him in surprise.

"Yes, in fact, its about a mermaid who desired to be with a human," Makoto nodded. "Its a mermaid instead of a fish, so it would take place after your story. And the ending is much different. Maybe I could find it for you to watch."

"S-So not only do humans know about us... they also know our lore?" Haru seemed baffled.

"Ah! Well, humans don't believe mermaids are real and are just a fairy tale for the most part. But now I'm wondering... How do we have a similar story...?" Makoto pondered.

"It is a bit strange..." Haru replied. "But its best if humans know as little about us as possible."

"Most people would probably think someone was lying if they said they saw a mermaid, so don't worry," Makoto chuckled. "I know if I told anyone I had one in my apartment they'd all think I was crazy."

"Don't tell them!" Haru sat up in the tub.

"I won't, I won't," Makoto chuckled a bit. He reached out to wipe a bit of suds off of Haru's cheek. "Your safety is what's important." He blew at the bubbles on his hand.

Haru watched as they floated back into the tub.

"Well, I'm going to change the water in your pool," Makoto stood up and stretched.

"Alright," Haru replied, sinking down into the tub.

"And thanks for telling me that story - it was really great and you told it so well," Makoto smiled, "And it was the most I had heard you talk too!"

"Mhm..." Haru's eyes shifted away.

Makoto smiled in amusement before exiting the bathroom.

* * *

"Hey, Makoto!"

Makoto turned around to see his friend and coworker as he stood by the lockers. "Good morning, senpai."

"You've been looking a little happier lately, something good happen?" The man asked, giving Makoto a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"Oh, not really," Makoto shrugged.

"Hm, you sure? You haven't been up for going out after work much lately. You haven't found a girl, have you?" He nudged Makoto in the arm.

"N-No! Nothing like that," Makoto laughed a little. "I've just... made a new friend is all."

"A 'friend' huh?" He raised his eyebrows.

"I told you its not that," Makoto nudged him back.

Suddenly, the alarm sounded in the station. Everyone scrambled to get their gear on and Makoto did the same. No matter what was on his mind, he had to set it aside for his job. But at least he could say there was someone waiting at home for him once he was done with a rough day at work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you don't mind that most of this chapter was that mermaid fairy tale. ^^; But I kinda wanted to write something like that in this story! I don't think I have to explain to much for my reasoning behind including it, heh.
> 
> Also if you haven't heard, **I've started a poll!** I want to know what oneshot my readers want to see next, so I'm asking all of you! You can find the survey [here](https://www.murvey.com/s?546bef5c9c3e57c94a00023b), the link is on my profile as well. You have until December 10th to vote and the winner will be posted December 24th.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading my story! See you next time! :*


	4. Chapter 4

"Rei is going to come over this weekend to look at your injury and get your stitches out. Is that... alright, Haru?" Makoto and Haru had just finished eating dinner, including Haru's now favorite dish of pan fried mackerel.

"I said it was alright before, didn't I?" Haru replied.

"Ah, yeah, but I just wanted to make sure," Makoto replied with a timid smile.

"I'm fine with it," Haru said, looking on at the television.

"Your wound is looking a lot better, though. I'm so glad," Makoto's eyes fell on Haru's side where the stitches were located. He remembered how painful the injury looked and how glad he was to have someone like Rei treat it.

"Can I take a bath?" Haru asked, looking back over at Makoto.

"Oh, sure! I'll go ready it. Do you want a bubble bath?"

Haru silently nodded. A little amused over how much Haru ended up liking bubble baths so much, Makoto stood up and headed to the bathroom to prepare the bath.

Makoto sat on the edge of the tub, making sure the temperature was just right and watching the foam form from the soap. His mind wandered to the story that Haru had told him the other day. It really would be far-fetched for something like mermaids turning into humans to actually be true, but up until recently the existence of mermaids at all was something unimaginable.

As the tub was filled, Makoto went back out into the living room to retrieve Haru. As usual, Haru obediently allowed himself to be picked up and carried into the bathroom.

Makoto steadily lowered him in and Haru looked a little delighted to feel the hot water against his skin.

"I'm going to clean up a bit so enjoy the bath," Makoto said with a smile, turning to leave the room.

"Um," he heard Haru speak up. "Won't you come in with me?"

"H-Huh?" Makoto asked, a little shocked. "Um, I can just take a bath later..."

"On TV I saw that taking baths together is something you do with friends and family," the look on Haru's face was serious.

"Yeah... but usually at something like a public bath. Or with your little brothers or sisters..." Makoto rubbed his neck as he tried to explain it to Haru.

"I can't go to a public bath though..." Haru said quietly, looking down at the bubbles in the tub.

"I guess that's true..." Makoto let out a soft sigh.

He was flattered by the fact that it seemed Haru just wanted to do something together as friends. It wasn't like there was much else to do being confined to his small apartment.

"Alright, I'll get in with you," Makoto announced after making his decision.

Haru looked up, his cheery mood returning as he simply nodded.

Makoto carefully slid his pants down, tossing them aside. Then lifted his shirt above his head, throwing it on top of his pants.

"Alright, I'm coming in," Makoto announced as he went to step into the tub.

"You have to take those off," Haru pointed at his boxers.

"Eh, why!?" Makoto flustered.

"Because they said being naked was what strengthened the relationship!" Haru said with a face way too serious for the situation.

"H-Haru, what kind of shows are you watching while I'm not at home?" Makoto whined.

"So you won't do it?" Haru ignored the question and asked one of his own.

Makoto let out a long sigh. Well, to be fair, Haru had pretty much been naked this entire time. And he always took baths with his younger siblings when he lived with his parents. Plus, they were both guys, it shouldn't be  _that_ much of an issue.

"Fine..." Makoto finally gave in.

He stuck his thumbs under the waistband of his boxers and gingerly pulled them down. He could feel his face heat up with embarrassment and looked straight down at his feet. With his boxers off, all he wanted was to get into the tub as quickly as possible and have the suds cover him.

Stepping one foot into the tub, then the other, he sat down opposite of Haru, the mermaid's fin resting beside him.

"Was that so bad?" Haru commented as Makoto settled in.

"I guess it isn't that big of a deal," Makoto sighed as he was able to relax a little in the hot water.

"I don't see why not having clothes on is embarrassing for humans," Haru shrugged. "Although I guess if I wore those every day I might feel the same."

"Yeah, its just something that's unique to us as humans I suppose," Makoto commented, moving the suds around to make sure he wasn't too exposed.

"Makoto... you have a very nice body. I could never tell very well since I've only seen you with clothes," Haru said with sincerity.

"Oh... thank you, Haru. Your physique is nice as well - of course with all the swimming you do," Makoto replied.

Being a firefighter took a lot of physical strength and Makoto had always been in pretty good shape. So once he started his job he was in top physical form. His senior at work would always tease him about posing for one of those sexy firefighter calendars.

"Also..." Haru paused for a moment, his hands wafting through the water and bubbles. "Was that your genitals?"

"Huh!?" Makoto's face immediately heated up at the sudden question.

"Your genitals... A human male's is always exposed, right?" Haru asked with a straight face.

"U-Um... yes..." Makoto's ears felt like they could burn off. Haru asked many questions about humans, but nothing ever this bold.

He never really thought about it... but Haru didn't seem to have any of his own if one just looked at his body. Not that Makoto was actually looking for them, but it would certainly be something hard to miss.

"Our's retract. For males, at least. We only have them exposed for intercourse," Haru explained as if reading Makoto's mind. "So I was a bit surprised to see yours, but I think I remember someone telling me about how humans are different."

"O-Oh..." Makoto was still a bit too taken aback to make much conversation. Just the fact that Haru had seen his... thing... it made him a bit nervous.

"Yours is also quite big," Haru continued. "I'm sure many females would want-"

"H-Haru! Enough!" Makoto couldn't take it anymore and covered his ears.

"What is the problem?" Haru looked seriously confused.

"Its really embarrassing to talk about... m-my..." Makoto trailed off and avoided looking at Haru.

"... Is it?" Haru questioned innocently.

"Yes! Is it not... the same for mermaids?"

"Not really," Haru shrugged. "Procreation and desire are natural, so why should it be embarrassing?"

"But its also a private thing... and talking about g-genitals is a little..." Makoto wrung his hands under the water in unease.

"I suppose so..." Haru replied. "I'm sorry for talking about it then."

"Its okay, Haru. You couldn't have known," Makoto couldn't really get mad at Haru for being so foreign to the world above the water. He was already learning so much so it was a given that he'd make a mistake or two.

"If it will make you feel better, I'll show you mine," Haru said plainly.

"N-No! You don't have to!" Makoto nearly shouted and looked up to see Haru covering his mouth as if snickering. "Haru... was that a joke?"

"You actually thought I would..." Haru mumbled through his hand and turned his head to the side.

"You're so mean!" Makoto splashed water at Haru, although now he was feeling a lot less uptight.

Haru let out a slight, audible giggle - something Makoto hadn't heard until now. A laugh from Haru.

"You're smiling now," Makoto couldn't help but smile himself as they both settled down.

"And?" Haru questioned.

"Well, I don't see you smile very often. It makes me wonder if you dislike being here or not."

Haru cocked his head to the side and looked at Makoto thoughtfully. "Why would I dislike being here? You're kinda and give me good food and make sure my needs are met. You make sure I'm doing well and have taught me a lot about humans."

"You really feel that way?" Makoto asked.

"Mhm," Haru nodded. "Before I... didn't think humans were good for much. But I guess if there are people like Makoto..."

Makoto's cheeks flushed again at Haru's straightforward words. He knew whenever Haru told him something he really meant it.

"Thank you, Haru, I'm glad I got to meet you then..." Makoto looked kindly over at Haru.

Haru's face flushed slightly as he looked away.

Makoto smiled and adjusted himself in the cramped bathtub. His legs rubbed against Haru's tail in the process and it was almost shocking to feel the texture of it instead of human skin. Makoto had felt it before, but it was still a hard concept to grasp that Haru was actually a mermaid. His leg rested gently against the foreign skin that was actually quite smooth despite their scaly look.

"Nn, Makoto, don't rub my fin like that..." Haru's face seemed even more red as he attempted to move his fin further away from Makoto.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Haru. I didn't mean to," Makoto apologized.

"Its alright. I know its small in here. Its just, my fin..." Haru looked down at the water.

Makoto wasn't very sure why Haru seemed so conscious of his fin when only earlier they were talking about a much more private body part... And then he remembered a conversation they had before.

" _When someone has a mate, they rub their tails together to show affection."_

"Ah! I'm sorry, Haru! I forgot about the thing with mermaid's tails... I'm really sorry," Makoto said, a bit embarrassed of his actions now.

"Its... Its okay, it was simply an accident," Haru brushed it off, but he still seemed to be making attempts to keep his fin away from Makoto.

"But its like a kiss, right? I don't want to make you uncomfortable..." Makoto pouted.

"Its not like that if both parties aren't aware of it," Haru mumbled.

"Alright..." Makoto shifted a bit to make sure it wouldn't happen again. "Well, despite it being cramped in here, the water does feel nice."

"Mhm" Haru agreed, sinking further down.

"Are you enjoying taking a bath together? Does it.. feel like we're bonding?" Makoto asked.

"I'm not sure, I just wanted to try it... but thank you," Haru replied quietly, looking up at him.

"Well, I think every time I get to have a conversation with Haru it makes me feel closer to you," Makoto said with a smile.

Haru gave him another glance before submerging his head under the water.

Makoto, still feeling a little self-conscious, bent his legs up to cover himself. He was sure Haru wasn't the type to look though...

Thinking that, he relaxed a little and closed his eyes, letting the hot water envelop his body.

* * *

"Rei should be here any moment now - are you sure you're ready?" Makoto asked nervously, making sure everything was comfortable for the mermaid in the small swimming pool taking up most of his living room.

Haru sighed, "I told you - I'm fine."

"Yes, but last time you weren't awake. This will be the first time you've interacted with anyone else but me," Makoto checked his watch like he had been impulsively since the time started to draw near.

"Its not like I've never interacted with a human before you," Haru crossed his arms over his chest.

"Huh? You mean you've spoken with humans before?" Makoto asked in surprise.

"Yes. All mermaids have a pretty good chance of encountering a human at least once. We don't learn human language for nothing," Haru explained. "They were very short interactions, just had to act as if I was taking a swim. Nothing too major, but I know how to be calm around them."

"I suppose you're right," Makoto was still feeling a bit nervous, but maybe he was more on edge than Haru was.

"Also I still trust that this Rei is an okay human if he's your friend," Haru added quietly.

Only a few moments later there was a knocking at the door and Makoto shot up, quickly walking to the door but hesitating to pull it open. He seemed to find his resolve as he grasped the handle and swung it open.

"Hello, Rei," Makoto greeted as he saw the familiar face.

"Good evening, Makoto-senpai. Pardon the intrusion," Rei replied as Makoto let him in.

Rei took off his shoes and immediately noticed Haru in the middle of the room.

"Ah, its nice to meet you while you're awake, Haruka," Rei wore a genuine face of fascination and excitement.

"This is Rei, my friend from high school," Makoto introduced.

"Yes, I know..." Haru wasn't sure why there were introductions.

Makoto walked over beside Haru and signaled for Rei, who seemed cautious, to approach. Rei slowly made his way over, not being able to help the fact that his eyes were glued to Haru's body.

"H-He's even more beautiful than I remember..." Rei said with astonishment.

Haru scowled and looked away.

"Ah! I'm sorry. That was rude of me to say something so bold on our first meeting," Rei flustered.

"Haru is just shy, right?" Makoto sat down next to Haru.

Haru didn't respond and kept his head turned away.

"There I go, messing up my first impression," Rei sighed.

"Please don't be mad, Haru?" Makoto said softly.

"I'm not mad," he mumbled.

"Err, is it okay if Rei does his examination now?" Makoto asked cautiously.

"Its fine. That's what he's here for, right?"

Makoto looked up at Rei and gave him a reassuring smile, "Its okay, don't worry."

Rei nodded and went to go wash his hands at the sink in the kitchen. He came back out with gloves already pulled onto his hands and knelt down beside the pool.

"Tell me if this hurts," Rei said as he gingerly prodded at the site of Haru's stitches.

"No, it feels fine," Haru replied, watching Rei concentrate on not pushing too hard.

"That's good, and your wound looks pretty healed up as well. I'm going to have to disinfect the area, so I'm going to have to have you sit up out of the water, all right?"

Haru looked over at Makoto who placed his arms under Haru's and lifted him up onto the side of the pool.

Rei dug through his bag, taking out a towel to dry the area, then a bottle which he dabbed onto a pad and rubbed the substance over the healed wound and stitches.

After all that was done, Rei took in a deep breath. "I'm going to remove the stitches now, okay? It shouldn't really hurt but you'll feel a tug. Just keep your body still."

Rei pulled out a small forceps and knife. Haru's body stiffened a little at the sight of them.

"Its okay, Haru, this is how he has to take them out," Makoto tried to console him.

"I-I know that..." Haru mumbled, but was clearly feeling uneasy as he looked at the surgical tools.

Rei leaned in to start the procedure and Haru turned his head away as the first stitch was grabbed with the forceps.

Haru closed his eyes tightly. He knew it wouldn't really hurt, and it didn't. But the fact that something so foreign was happening to him and that the tools Rei were holding were akin to something the other mermaids would gossip about when talking about what humans would do to them if they were ever captured made him uneasy.

His hand gripped the side of the pool as he felt the pulling of his stitches. But soon he felt something warm embrace his hand and opened his eyes slightly to see Makoto's hand clasping his.

"I'm sorry, Haru, just bear with it for a little while?" Makoto's face was filled with concern as he gave Haru's hand a light squeeze.

Haru could instantly feel himself calming down as adjusted his hand to clasp with Makoto.

Makoto's hands were large and strong. They were a bit calloused and rough, but Haru still felt like they were tremendously comforting and warm. He nearly forgot about his stitches being removed as he concentrated over every little movement of Makoto's hand. A slight twitch, his thumb brushing his hand gently.

Haru looked back up at Makoto to see that his gaze had remained on him.

Makoto gently pushed a few strands of Haru's hair away from his face and smiled slightly, "Feeling better?"

Haru simply nodded as he felt his body warm slightly. For some reason... Makoto looking at him and caring for him made him unusually happy.

It took Rei a while to get the stitches out since there were quiet a few and he was being cautious as possible, but Makoto held Haru's hand the whole time which made the process more bearable.

"Finished!" Rei said triumphantly, setting everything down, "Now I'll clean the area again and apply a bandage. Its waterproof! I'll leave some here so make sure to change them regularly and in a few days you should be good to go."

"You did a good job, Haru," Makoto smiled.

"All I did was sit still," Haru mumbled.

Rei applied the bandage and began packing his things away. Haru was a little saddened when Makoto finally let go of his hand.

Makoto got up and walked over to his friend. "Thank you so much, Rei, you really saved Haru's life."

"No problem at all. Anything as a favor for Makoto-senpai," Rei sad happily. "And I'm glad to have even just met Haruka! E-Even if I haven't made such a good impression..."

"You saved me. So thank you," Haru spoke up. "I don't think negatively of you at all. I'm just... not used to being called 'beautiful'..."

"Of course, my apologies," Rei seemed a bit relieved.

"Ah, Haru, I was wondering... is it okay if Rei has a few of your scales?" Makoto asked.

Haru looked at them in confusion. "... Why?"

Haru had small yet compact scales all down his body that would occasionally fall out once new ones grew in, similar to hair. It was a natural occurrence and one reason Makoto would regularly have to clean out the water in the pool for him.

"I'm a scientist - I do a lot of a research. Your scales would be incredibly rare specimens... I could possibly make some big discoveries with them!" Rei said excitedly.

"... Whatever you want," Haru sighed, still not quite understanding his reasoning.

Haru picked up a few scales that were already settled at the bottom of the pool and held them out.

"Thank you very much!" Rei took them happily, digging through his bag for a little plastic bottle to put them in.

Makoto walked Rei to the door and thanked him once again. Rei waved goodbye to Haru before being on his way. After the door was shut Makoto let out a huge sigh.

"That went pretty well," he commented, walking back over to Haru. "You feeling alright? Are you hungry?"

Haru nodded. "Can I have mackerel?"

"Of course," Makoto smiled.

* * *

"Are you excited to see your family and friends again?" Makoto asked after they ate their dinner.

"Huh?" Haru was a little distracted by the TV. Makoto wondered if it was bad that he let him watch it so much.

"Going back - are you excited?" Makoto asked again.

"Going back..." Haru repeated under his breath.

"I'm sure you miss your family and friends, right? I'm sure they miss you a lot too."

"Oh... Yes, I do miss them," Haru answered.

"It... really has been fun, though," Makoto said a bit meekly. "It'll be a little lonely without you here."

Haru watched Makoto and could tell his smile wasn't quite as happy as it usually was.

"Ah, sorry, I shouldn't be talking like we'll never see each other again," Makoto rubbed at his neck. "Um, we will right?"

"Yes, I know how to get back to that shore from my village," Haru said, referring to the shore where he washed up.

"Great, maybe we can meet up sometime? If it isn't any trouble for you... I know its dangerous and everything -"

"Its fine, I can manage," Haru interrupted.

Makoto gave a light laugh and turned his eye towards the television. "I'm glad then."

There was a moment of silence between the two, just the commercial on the TV being the only sound in the room.

"We still have a few days," Haru spoke up.

Makoto looked back over at him.

"I... I want to swim in a swimming pool," Haru continued. "Before I go back."

Makoto's eyes widened a bit at Haru's request. Haru had never requested to leave the house before, but of course that was probably because of the major threat of being seen.

But... maybe for Haru he could make something work? He'd have to somehow manage to get Haru out of the house without being seen to take him back to the ocean anyway.

Maybe... his old swim club would do? He hadn't talked to the owner in quite a while, but he was always on good terms with him. Maybe if he said it was a wish for a friend he could take Haru there after closing time.

"Okay, I'll try my best to do that for you," Makoto said softly.

"Mhm," Haru nodded his head, a slight smile on his face.

A rare smile that made Makoto's chest clench every time he saw it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like the wait for a new chapter took way too long. I'm sorry : I guess that's what I get when I have four different stories going on at the same time.  
> But I hope you enjoyed this nonetheless. ^^ I really like subtle yet cute moments so I hope you do as well~
> 
> Thank you so much for the support and see you next time! :*


	5. Chapter 5

It was always nostalgic to see the building Makoto went to for swim lessons when he was a kid. The building closed down for a while, but when he was in high school one of the former coaches bought the building and re-opened it. The owner that now ran the swim club was coach Sasabe - Makoto's former coach. Makoto would work there during the summer in high school for a little extra money, but hadn't visited the place since.

Makoto walked through the doors to see kids of all ages and a few instructors. He walked up to one of the women who seemed to be an instructor herself.

"Excuse me, miss, is Coach Sasabe here?" He asked.

"Oh," the woman's cheeks flushed slightly as she looked up at Makoto. "Coach Sasabe is in his office, I can go get him for you," she said shyly.

"That'd be great," Makoto replied with a smile, which made the woman blush a little more.

Makoto worried if he was intimidating to her considering she was quite a bit shorter than him.

A few moments later, a familiar face came out to greet him.

"Well if it isn't Makoto!" Sasabe said with a huge grin.

"Hello, coach," Makoto replied. Sasabe hadn't changed a bit since he last saw him.

"I was always wondering when you'd come back to work for me," he joked, giving Makoto a hearty pat on the shoulder.

"Sorry, I'm pretty busy with my firefighting job," Makoto chuckled lightly.

"Well I guess you're doing a good job at protecting this town," Sasabe nodded. "Anyway, something must've brought you here?"

"Yeah, actually, I have a huge favor to ask you," Makoto said. "You see, I have this friend who really wants to swim in a large swimming pool like the ones here, but he's... really shy," Makoto wasn't about to just say 'he's a mermaid'.

"Mhm..." Sasabe nodded and rubbed his chin.

"A-Anyway, he's really self-conscious and doesn't really want anyone to see him... So I was wondering if he could come here after closing?" Makoto asked with a hopeful expression.

"Hmm, you aren't just trying to bring a girl here, are you?" Sasabe crossed his arms.

"N-No! Not at all!" Makoto's face turned bright pink and his shouting got him a few stares.

Sasabe guffawed and patted Makoto on the shoulder again, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding! I know you ain't the type of guy to trick me."

"Coach Sasabe..." Makoto grumbled.

"Hey, you're alumni to this place so I'll let you have this one favor," Sasabe winked.

"Really? Thank you!" Makoto breathed a sigh of relief.

"On one condition - you gotta help teach a summer course next summer," Sasabe threw a thumbs up.

"I'm sure I can work something around my schedule," Makoto said meekly, he kind of expected to be roped into something like this. Not that he didn't enjoy doing lessons when he did them in high school.

"Great! Follow me to me office and I'll give you a set of keys to the building," Sasabe said, beckoning Makoto to follow him.

Makoto was happy that he could fulfill Haru's wish before having to return home.

* * *

Spending the last few days with Haru were bitter sweet. Unfortunately, Makoto had work every day, but he managed to get the day off on the day he decided to take Haru back to the ocean.

He and Haru talked all evening and into the night the last few days. It seemed like they could never stop learning about each other. Makoto talked about things he did with his family as a child and Haru also got to tell him about his family. About how he was their only child and how they often had to leave and gather food for the village. Haru was used to being alone with them gone so much, but he didn't mind as he enjoyed passing the time by swimming to his favorite locations.

Makoto wished he could visit Haru's village and see all the great places Haru would go, but it was probably impossible. Even if it was, swimming in the ocean was still... scary. But he was sure if he was with Haru it might be alright.

But what was a little troubling was that Haru seemed to have gotten... a little clingy. He'd get fussy when Makoto had to leave for work or said he was going to bed. He'd want Makoto by his side from the moment he walked to the door, and Makoto even had to make something up as to why he came home late when he visited the swim club.

Makoto wasn't sure why Haru had suddenly gotten so attached to him like this, but it worried him. He didn't want Haru to be reluctant to go back to his home. And Makoto himself didn't want to make it any harder to see Haru go. Of course, they had agreed to see each other again, but Haru's short stay with him would probably make his place seem empty without him once he left.

"I want to stay up later with you," Haru looked Makoto in the eyes and said with an almost pleading face.

"I know, Haru, but we have to get up early, there's a lot to do tomorrow," Makoto replied as kindly as he could.

Haru seemed like he was pouting a bit as he looked away from Makoto. "...Fine."

"I promise we'll have fun," Makoto smiled and patted Haru on the head.

"Goodnight," Haru said softly.

"Goodnight, Haru," Makoto replied.

* * *

Makoto woke Haru up early for the start of their last day together. Since Makoto didn't want a repeat of Haru's injury, he decided to take Haru back at sunrise the next day - good enough to avoid the time when sharks were feeding and hopefully to avoid anyone noticing them. So he planned out the whole day beforehand and scheduled a nap after lunch so they wouldn't be too tired before Makoto took him to the swim club after it closed for his last surprise before having to leave.

The morning started with breakfast while Haru watched his favorite shows and the two chatted a bit. When lunch came around, Makoto surprised Haru with a movie -  _The Little Mermaid_. He had promised Haru he would show it to him, and the other day he finally got around to buying it. It was funny to hear Haru make comments over what was wrong with the movie. 'Our villages look nothing like that,' or 'we can't talk to animals,' and 'women don't wear those silly shells over their breasts' (Makoto had to explain that they wore shells because it was a kids movie, which Haru didn't quite understand). But despite making criticisms here and there Haru seemed to be enthralled with it, especially after Ariel got her legs.

"How did you like the movie?" Makoto asked as the credits rolled.

"I liked it," Haru replied. "I like that they were happy in the end."

"Me too," Makoto smiled. "And although you said mermaids can't actually talk to animals, I think Sebastian is my favorite character."

Makoto looked over at Haru. His head was faced downwards, his hands resting on his fin in thought.

"Haru?" Makoto asked gently.

Haru looked up, "What is it?"

"Are you tired? Or do you want to take a bath?" Makoto asked.

"Bath..." Haru said softly.

Makoto nodded and stood up to go to the bathroom. He couldn't help but notice Haru's mood starting to get a bit down. He hoped Haru wasn't starting to get sad over leaving, because Makoto knew if he saw Haru being sad, he'd start getting sad as well. He wanted Haru's last day to be happy, so he hoped his plan later that night would cheer Haru up.

After getting the bath ready, Makoto went back to the living room to get Haru. The mermaid turned when he heard Makoto walk out and allowed himself to be picked up by him, wrapping his arms around the man's neck.

"Is the temperature alright?" Makoto asked after setting Haru in the bath.

"Yes," Haru nodded, sinking a little more into the tub. "Come in with me...?"

Haru hadn't asked Makoto to come in the bath with him since the first time, probably because of how self-conscious Makoto was about the whole thing. But since it was Haru's last day...

"Alright," Makoto smiled slightly, nodding a confirmation.

Quickly, Makoto removed his clothes and made his way into the bathtub opposite of Haru. As he situated himself comfortably, Haru began slowly approaching him.

"H-Haru?" Makoto didn't know what to do as Haru turned and leaned his body against his, situating himself between Makoto's legs.

Makoto's face reddened as he felt Haru's skin against his, and incredibly close to a certain lower region.

"Um, are you alright?" Makoto wasn't sure what else to ask as Haru rested his head against Makoto's chest.

"Yes," he said quietly.

Makoto figured this was just Haru being clingy again. But they hadn't touched like this before and it made him nervous. But Haru seemed so relaxed and pleased with this position... Maybe it wasn't such a big deal.

Makoto slowly lifted his hand and stroked Haru's damp hair. He wondered if salt water was actually good for hair, because Haru's always felt good to the touch.

"Want me to wash your hair for you?" Makoto asked.

Haru said nothing, but Makoto felt him nod 'yes' against his chest.

Makoto smiled and scooped a few handfuls of water over Haru's head. He grabbed for the shampoo bottle and squirted out a small amount onto his hand, scrubbing it into Haru's hair. The more he scrubbed the more foam formed. Haru let out a soft sigh, from getting his scalp massaged. Makoto was worried if he was doing it too hard, but Haru didn't seem to be complaining.

"Feel good?" Makoto asked.

"Mm," Haru simply replied.

Makoto continued his scrubbing for a bit, then slowly rinsed Haru's hair, cupping a little bit of water and pouring it over his head again and again.

"All done," Makoto said when it seemed like all the shampoo had been washed away.

Haru didn't respond as his head lobbed to the side against Makoto's chest. Judging by his slow, steady breathing it seemed he had fallen asleep. Makoto wondered how much sleep Haru actually got the previous night.

Falling asleep in a bathtub might be fine for a mermaid, but now Makoto was wondering how he was going to get out with one sleeping on him.

* * *

After managing to somehow get out of the bath without disturbing Haru, Makoto decided to do a bit of cleaning up and prepping for dinner before taking a nap himself.

After waking up, Makoto decided to let Haru sleep while he started making dinner. He had learned a lot about cooking different kinds of fish every since Haru showed up. It seemed like that was pretty much the only thing he was actually quite good at cooking at this point. And of course, he made sure to get Haru's favorite.

Haru ate all of his dinner, but barely talked during it. He still seemed down and Makoto was worried. He was hoping that the rest of the night would make him forget about being sad and instead be happy about the time they got to spend together when they could. Makoto felt a pain in his chest seeing Haru looking so upset, he wanted to see a smile on his face again.

"Want to go out for a drive, Haru?" Makoto asked in a kind voice.

"Drive...?" Haru looked at him in confusion.

"Yep, in my car," Makoto nodded. "I never took you out of the apartment while you were here... I'm sorry. But I'm hoping I can make it up to you."

"Its understandable..." Haru said quietly. "But if you insist..."

"Alright! I'll go get ready then," Makoto said, as he went off to fetch a few things.

He grabbed some towels and went to the kitchen to soak them in the sink. After wringing out the towels a bit, he grabbed a few bottles of water and a t-shirt from his room.

"Alright, Haru, I'm going to sit you on the chair for a minute," Makoto said, setting the towels over the side of the pool.

He grabbed Haru under his arms and lifted him up onto the chair. He then proceeded to wrap the wet towels around Haru's fin.

"So you'll stay wet," Makoto explained. "And so no one will see your fin. Pretty smart, huh?" He smiled.

"Mhm," Haru nodded.

"Alright, I'm gonna put this on you," Makoto held up the shirt for Haru to see.

"Why?" Haru asked.

"You have to pass for a human, right? People don't go around shirtless too often," Makoto explained.

Haru narrowed his eyes at the piece of clothing and huffed. "Fine."

Makoto chuckled a bit and slid the shirt over Haru's head. "Alright, now put your arms through these holes."

Haru slid his arms in and Makoto let go of the shirt which fell down over the rest of his torso easily. He was amused at how big it was on Haru.

"How can you people wear this..." Haru asked, plucking at the shirt. "Doesn't it constantly bother you with it rubbing against your skin?"

"Hm, I guess since we wear it every day we get used to it?" Makoto shrugged. "Also, that one doesn't quite fit you..."

Haru grumbled, clearly not happy about having to wear clothes but he didn't protest about taking it off.

Makoto then grabbed the bottles and handed them to Haru.

"Hold onto these while I carry you out, alright? These are in case you're starting to feel a little dry."

Haru obeyed and grabbed the bottles.

"Alright, lets go," Makoto said, putting his arm underneath Haru's fin and one on his back and lifting him up.

He managed to get his shoes on and lock the door on the way out. With all his training he was pretty used to carrying someone up and down flights of stairs, and Haru was surprisingly light.

He was grateful that no one seemed to be out around his apartment. Even though Haru's fin was wrapped in the towels, it was probably still a weird sight to see.

Makoto opened the passenger side door and lowered Haru onto the seat and positioning him comfortably, fastening the seat belt over him. After finishing up with Haru, Makoto closed the door and made his way to the driver's side. Haru jumped a bit when Makoto started up the car.

Haru seemed a bit surprised when the car started to move and Makoto made his way out onto the main road.

"You weren't conscious the first time you were in here, so this is like the first time for you being in a car, huh?" Makoto said.

"Yes..." Haru's gaze was focused solely out the window, looking at all of the buildings and lights fly by. "Its like on television..."

Makoto glanced over at Haru who was now looking through the front windshield in awe. Makoto would've rolled down the passenger side window for him, but he thought the wind might dry him out.

"There are people..." Haru commented as they passed a few people walking on the sidewalk, lit up by the streetlamps.

"Of course," Makoto chuckled a bit.

As they drove, it seemed like whatever Haru was brooding on seemed like it was out of his mind for the time being. He commented on the buildings and the people they passed. He was mesmerized over seeing the ocean above the water and so far away, barely visible through the inky blackness of night.

"I never thought I'd get to see sights like this," Haru was eying a few people at a bus stop while they were at a red light.

"Ah, don't stare, Haru," Makoto patted Haru's shoulder and he obeyed. "Are you enjoying it then?

"Yes... I like seeing all of the things that I saw on television," Haru nodded.

"I'm glad," Makoto smiled. "And I'm going to take you somewhere special next."

"Somewhere special?" Haru looked over at Makoto.

The light turned green and Makoto pushed on the gas, "Mhm. You wanted to go to a swimming pool, right?"

Haru lightly gasped, "R-Really? That's where we're going?"

"Yep," Makoto nodded. "I managed to get one all to ourselves for the night."

Haru didn't say anything in response, but just a glance made it clear that he was happy as he began to fidget with excitement.

* * *

As expected, no one was at the swim club as there wasn't a single car in the parking lot, and as Makoto walked through the front door all the lights seemed to be off.

"Wow..." Haru said under his breath as Makoto brought him to the main swimming pool. It was just as how Makoto remembered it being.

Makoto decided to leave the lights off so it wouldn't draw any suspicion to outsiders. Fortunately, the pool had a large ceiling window which allowed the light from the moon to illuminate the room.

"Pretty neat, huh?" Makoto commented as he sat Haru down on a chair to remove the towels wrapped around him and taking off the shirt (which Haru seemed relieved about). "Now, I hope the water is alright for you. There's a lot of chlorine so I'm not sure if its okay for you to breathe in it..."

"I'll just breathe above the water then," Haru seemed a little antsy to get in as his eyes never left the large pool in front of him, which was a bit amusing.

"I brought my swimsuit so I'll swim with you," Makoto smiled.

"Oh yeah, you told me you used to swim in school," Haru commented.

"Yeah, I probably should've kept practicing, but I'm so busy with work," Makoto said, taking of his shirt.

After getting his pants off he was down to his swimmers. Unfortunately, he never wore them much since he bought them after teaching lessons, but thankfully they still fit well. Picking up Haru, he walked over to the pool steps and lowered Haru in once the water was up to his thighs.

Haru lunged forward and immediately began swimming the length of the pool. Makoto's jaw dropped slightly in awe as he watched Haru swim at top speed with amazing grace back and forth in the pool.

Makoto waded out a little further into the pool, Haru coming back up to him and coming up from the surface of the water.

"How is it?" Makoto asked.

"I haven't swum in so long... and its so much different than swimming in the ocean," Haru replied.

"Your swimming is so beautiful," Makoto said kindly.

Haru looked away, "Its just swimming..."

"But you swim so effortlessly through the water! Its like you're flying," Makoto smiled.

Haru was quiet for a moment. "How does Makoto swim?"

"Hm... Not like Haru," he crossed his arms. "I don't really like having my face in the water, so I swim on my back."

"On your back?" Haru tilted his head in confusion.

"Mhm, I'll show you," Makoto drifted towards the edge of the pool.

It had been a while and he hadn't warmed up, but it wasn't a competition so it should be alright. Makoto grabbed the edge and kicked off, letting instinct take over and swimming the backstroke he had done so many times before. He always liked the fact that he could look up at the sky while swimming, and seeing the moon glow over him was something he hadn't experienced before.

He felt the touch of the other edge of the pool and turn-kicked to head back. Once he had finished a lap, he let his feet hit the floor of the pool and was actually feeling a little winded. Swimming was definitely a different level of physical activity.

"I've never seen swimming like that before," Haru said as he swam up to him.

"Mhm, there's a lot of different styles of swimming, actually," Makoto replied, looking at Haru who seemed a little impressed.

"There are different ways to swim?"

"Well, I guess for humans who swim competitively, they've come up with different styles. And of course we can't breathe under water so we have to be able to have ways of swimming that allow us to come up for air," Makoto went on to explain.

"So, what would my style be called?" Haru asked.

"Hmm," Makoto lifted his hand to his chin, "Freestyle?"

"Free..." Haru said under his breath.

"Because Haru swims the way he wants," Makoto gave Haru a kind smile.

Haru didn't respond, and instead shot backwards onto his back, moving his fin up and down and swinging his arms backwards.

Makoto could tell that Haru was trying to do the backstroke and was a little flattered and impressed at how well Haru could do it for his first try.

After reaching the end of the pool, Haru swam back to Makoto normally.

"How did I do?"

"That was great for you first time! Especially considering you did it with a fin. Ah, but I guess a fin is a lot better for swimming anyway," Makoto rested his back against the wall of the pool.

"Its strange to swim above the water... but I liked it," Haru said. "I could see the sky." Haru smiled slightly.

"Yeah, that's why I like swimming like that too," Makoto drank in the vision of Haru's smile under the moonlight. He was glad that Haru was enjoying himself in his last moments before going back home.

Makoto continued to watch Haru swim about in the pool, and even gave a few tips to him about how to do the backstroke better. He regretted not taking Haru sooner, it must've been so boring sitting in a small pool of water. But at least he could do it for his last day.

Makoto rested on the steps of the pool as he watched Haru swim up to him again.

"I want to show you something," Haru said.

"Hm? What is it?"

"But you don't like putting your head under water..." Haru said softly.

Makoto paused for a moment, "I don't mind as long as someone's with me," he was sure he could trust being with Haru, even if it was a little scary.

"Okay then, come here," Haru grabbed Makoto by the wrist and pulled him off the ladder. "Put your head under water."

Makoto wasn't sure what Haru had planned, but he put his faith in him as he took a deep breath and plunged his head underneath the water.

He could faintly here Haru submerse under the water as well right after him. He forgot to ask if he should open his eyes, but all thought soon left him as he began to hear a beautiful, melodious sound. It was something he had never heard before, but it was captivating and he nearly gasped in surprise if he hadn't had to remind himself that he'd probably inhale pool water. The sound only lasted a few seconds, and after it was done he felt Haru try to pull him up back to the surface.

Makoto broke the surface of the water, taking a breath and wiping the excess water from his face.

"Haru, what was that? It sounded so beautiful!" Makoto asked excitedly.

"It was my language," Haru said, "you can't hear it above water, and I never got to speak it for you. You've always been so interested in my people, so I figured you would like to hear how we speak."

Makoto gasped slightly. He never imagined that such a beautiful sounding language even existed.

"What did you say?" He asked eagerly.

Haru looked down, his face was flushed slightly with pink. "I'm glad I met you, thank you."

Makoto felt his chest tighten hearing Haru's sincere words. He didn't have a chance to respond before Haru opened his arms and wrapped them around his torso tightly.

They had never hugged, but as Makoto slowly put his arms around Haru, it felt like something so familiar and comforting. For the few moments they held each other, they didn't speak a word until Makoto heard Haru speak up softly.

"Makoto... I want one last thing before I have to go."

They separated from their hug, Makoto looking at Haru, a sad expression in his eyes.

"What is it?"

"... I want a kiss."

Makoto's eyes widened slightly in shock. He wasn't sure how to react, but Haru looked so serious and his lips trembled slightly. He and Haru had become so close in a short amount of time. He enjoyed being with him, he couldn't wait to get home from work to see him. He was sad that they wouldn't live together anymore. And Haru wasn't selfish... He only asked for things he really and truly wanted.

Makoto pushed aside a few wet strands of Haru's hair and cupped his face, gently stroking his cheek with his thumb. Haru's face was full of anxiety and eagerness. Makoto always thought Haru was very handsome. His eyes lidded as he lowered his face to Haru's until their lips met. Their lips were wet from the water, but Haru's felt so warm and soft. It felt so nice. He felt Haru exhale through his nose against his skin, and he sighed ever so slightly.

Makoto lifted his head after a few moments, and Haru's face was flushed and his eyes were watery. Makoto gave him another kiss on the forehead and brought him into another hug. He could feel Haru's heart beating quickly, and he knew that his was beating just as fast.

"The sun is coming up soon... We have to get going," Makoto said in a solemn whisper.

Haru said nothing as he allowed himself to be picked up and carried out of the pool.

* * *

The car ride to the beach was quiet. Makoto wasn't sure if he messed everything up by kissing Haru, but he just wanted to make him happy.

They arrived not much longer after leaving the swim club Thankfully, the small strip of beach was usually empty anyway, so there was no problem getting down to the rocks unnoticed. The sun hadn't started to rise yet, so Makoto sat Haru down by the rocks they had first met by. It was strange to see them again, knowing all the things they had been through together since then.

They sat quietly, side by side, waiting for the sun, Haru's fin halfway in the water to keep himself wet.

"I... I'm really happy we got to spend all this time together," Makoto spoke up to break the silence, keeping his face forward. "I hope you can come see me every week. I promise I'll come every time."

Makoto started to worry when Haru didn't respond. He looked over and was shocked to see tears falling down Haru's face.

"H-Haru?" Makoto grabbed his shoulder and Haru began sobbing quietly.

"I don't want to leave..." Haru said in a raspy voice between sobs.

Makoto embraced him and gently stroked his head, "I know, I don't want you to leave either, to be honest. But your family... your village.. they all miss you, and I'm sure you miss them."

"I know..." Haru said quietly. "I know..."

"And we'll see each other every week. You'll come see me, won't you?" Makoto asked.

He felt Haru nod against him.

"So it isn't like we'll never see each other again!" Makoto said in a cheery voice. "Because I always want to stay friends with Haru."

The sun began to rise over the ocean and the sky began to light up with several shades of colors. Makoto kept his arm around Haru as the mermaid rested his head on his shoulder.

"Have you ever seen a sunrise?" Makoto asked.

"No..." Haru replied in a quiet voice.

"Then lets watch the sunrise every time we see each other," Makoto gave Haru's arm a light squeeze.

"Okay."

Neither of them didn't want to say it, but both knew that now that the sun was in the sky, it was Haru's time to go. Haru moved away from Makoto and held on to the rocks as he slid further into the ocean.

"Um, have a safe trip back, okay?" Makoto said, now being hit with the fact the Haru was actually leaving as he saw his fin submerge deeper into the water.

"I will. I know my way back," Haru said quietly.

"Goodbye, Haru..." Makoto waved weakly, giving a sad smile.

"Goodbye..." Haru nodded, Makoto noticed tears swelling in his puffy eyes again.

Haru left quickly, probably not wanting to linger much longer than he had to, not wanting to make it more painful than it was. Makoto sat at the shore, looking out onto the ocean, thinking maybe he'd get a glimpse of Haru again, but saw nothing but waves.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there, but he stood up once he told himself for the hundredth time that Haru wasn't going to be coming back. Well, at least until next week. They'd see each other again - so he wasn't sure why it still felt so painful.

Getting into his truck, he started up the engine, but couldn't find it in him to begin his drive when he felt large tears falling from his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the pain. ;~; But I hope you liked their last day together... And the story isn't over yet!
> 
> I'm really happy when people tell me they are enjoying this story - so thank for all the kindness and support! See you next time~ :*


	6. Chapter 6

Haru was in a large, sparkling, and glorious ballroom. The room was made mostly of polished marble with golden trimmings along the pillars, banisters, staircase, and floor, with large windows along the room. Everyone around him were dressed like princes and princesses, dancing on the large, open floor. He wasn't sure why he was there and he wasn't sure what to do. He knew no one there, so he started to wonder if he should just try and leave the place. He began searching for some sort of door, his eyes scanning the room until they stopped on a familiar face.

It seemed like time had slowed, yet the music kept playing.

Makoto was dressed in a slick black suit, a tight red tie and white gloves. His hair was styled quite royally and he seemed to be chatting with someone else. When Haru's eyes lingered on him, it was as if Makoto knew and spotted Haru from across the room right away.

Makoto smiled warmly and began making his way towards Haru. Haru's heartbeat quickened as Makoto approached closer. He wasn't sure where to look since it was a little much to just look at the man getting closer to him.

"Haruka," Makoto's voice was soft and Haru looked back over at him.

Makoto had his hand held out towards him, and instinctively Haru placed his own hand on top. Makoto raised Haru's hand to his lips, leaving a small kiss on the back of it.

"May I have this dance?" He asked with a sincere smile.

Haru could feel his ears burning, but still nodded without saying a word.

Makoto chuckled a bit, bringing Haru's hand up and wrapping his other arm around his waist, pulling the two closer to each other.

And without knowing how it could be possible, they began to dance. That's when Haru realized - he had legs. He gasped in surprise as he looked down at the legs he now had, his feet dancing in time with Makoto's flawlessly.

"What is it?" Makoto asked as they danced to the center of the ballroom.

"I... I have legs," Haru looked at him in shock.

"Of course you do!" Makoto chuckled a bit.

Despite how bizarre it was and despite Makoto's unusual response, Haru remained quiet and continued with the waltz that was playing, somehow knowing every step along with Makoto's.

After the song ended, the lights around them dimmed except for where they stood - as if a spotlight was on them. Another song began to play, the tempo too slow to be a waltz. Makoto pulled Haru even close to him, the warmth of their bodies resonating between each other.

"Place your hands around my shoulders," Makoto said softly.

Without questioning, Haru did so and Makoto placed both of his hands on Haru's waist.

Just like that, the two swayed to the slower song. Makoto smiled his kind smile and Haru couldn't help but feel embarrassed having their faces be so close. So instead, he rested his head against Makoto's shoulder, Makoto letting out a slight chuckle and rubbing Haru's back gently.

It felt really nice to be dancing with Makoto like this, having legs and not having to be held up for once. It was nice to feel Makoto's embrace and the heat of his body and the slightly fast beating of his heart. Haru didn't want it to end.

"Haruka..."

Haru looked up as he heard Makoto speak.

"Haruka..." He repeated.

Haru wanted so badly to close the gap between their lips.

"Haruka..."

Despite being right in front of him, Makoto now sounded so distant...

"Haru..."

Haru's eyes opened and was nearly thrown off over his surroundings. He was home. Not Makoto's home, but his home, below the surface of the water.

He sighed, rubbing his eyes with a yawn. He looked down at his body and saw the usual - his fin. Of course it was a dream. There was no way he suddenly had legs and was dancing in a ballroom that was an exact replica of the one he had see on television once before.

Haru closed his eyes again and gave another sigh. He had only been away from Makoto for a couple weeks and he was having these weird dreams about him already. They had even met up since then and they were going to meet again tomorrow.

But he missed him more than he thought he would. Never in all his years would he have thought he would've actually come to like a human... And he would've been appalled if someone said he would actually fall in love with one. What was even stranger was that Makoto was a male. It didn't make any sense to Haru at all. Two males could never bear children, and he had never heard of two males being mates. He wondered what the other mermaids would think if two males decided to be mates. Probably confused, as they feel procreation is such an important thing for them as a species that is slowly dwindling in numbers. But... would they mind? Would they let them be and say no more?

And there Haru was, pining for someone that wasn't his own kind and a human male, someone his own kind weren't on very good terms with.

Yes, Haru had fallen in love with a human named Makoto Tachibana. Haru rubbed the smooth scales on his tail, far from anything resembling a pair of legs. This was the tail he had his entire life, and yet it was the thing that put up a huge barrier between the two. Meeting Makoto once a week didn't seem like it would be enough...

When Haru returned home, it was very emotional. His parents cried, thinking he might have been gone for good. The village leader and elder was even overwhelmed with emotions to see him back. Everyone in the village seemed to have worried about him a lot, and had even been sending out search teams for him. He felt awful to have worried them, but they all forgave him easily and said that his safe return was worth it in the end. The warmth from his parents and fellow villagers was something he truly appreciated. And it would be a lie if he said he hadn't missed them. He might be a loner, but everyone in the village was protective and kind.

They were all in shock when he said he was cared for by a human. They never thought that any human would have left him alive or not as a lab pet, let alone take care of him and return him back to the sea. When Haru claimed that some humans are capable of kindness, even after hearing Haru's story, his fellow villagers seemed wary.

"I think you just got incredibly lucky, son. We're grateful that a human like that took care of you, but I don't want you going back to see him. He might change his mind about being kind to you, or someone else could see you. I don't want you taking that risk."

His father said this after Haru told him that he and Makoto planned to meet again. Haru was an adult, but the mermaids are very low in number, every one is precious and it isn't uncommon for the parents of mermaids to watch over their children even after becoming adults and finding a mate of their own.

But of course, this wouldn't stop Haru. He snuck out at night plenty of times, so his father's words weren't going to stop him from seeing the human he loved.

Meeting Makoto after a week of being apart felt like they had been apart for years. Haru figured he was being annoying, but he didn't separate himself from Makoto the entire time they were together. But Makoto being the kind person he is, he didn't complain at all as Haru latched on to him. They talked about what happened the week they were apart until the sunrise - then Haru had to leave. The sunrise was beautiful, but Haru felt like he might end up hating it, because that's when he had to part with Makoto.

Haru let out another soft sigh as he recalled the time he spent with Makoto the previous week. Humans and mermaids had the same upper body, the same faces, so Haru could always tell Makoto was attractive. His body is broad, muscular and strong, yet he has such a tender demeanor and personality. Haru loved the feel of his skin... the warmth of his body...

Haru remembered wanting so badly to share another kiss with Makoto, but was too afraid to ask. He wondered why mermaids never kissed, because it felt really good.

Haru gently touched his lips. He tried remembering what Makoto's felt like against his... He wanted to feel Makoto's skin against his again... Haru wondered if he were born female... If he and Makoto could be mates... He had seen Makoto naked, he wondered if their genitals would be compatible despite they being different species...

Haru's breathing was shallow and his eyes were shut. He could feel himself becoming aroused as thoughts of Makoto hovering above him crossed his mind. He didn't know what to do. Before meeting Makoto, Haru had never really been so aroused before. He never had such fantasies. Before, he was fine putting off finding a mate until he felt ready. But now... Now all he wanted was to be...

"Haruka!"

Haru shot up, nearly hitting his head on the rock above him.

"Y-Yes?" He responded.

"We're leaving soon, please be safe, okay? Don't leave past nighttime!" His mother shouted from the other room.

"Alright," Haru huffed, thankful that his arousal was going away quickly.

He swam to the exit of their house. Houses were made in inconspicuous underwater caves, the insides carved into separate rooms. These caves were usually made in large valleys that were hard for humans to traverse to, so the mermaids could swim freely around the valley without worry. And it seemed like today was the day Haru's parents were leaving the valley for a few days for the regular village food gathering. Haru never went because his jobs were to ration the food once they got back and to take care of anything while the gatherers were away.

"Bye, mom, dad," He said as they swam out to make their leave.

"Do as the elder says when we're away," his father said before the both swam off.

Haru wasn't much of a trouble child, but he felt lucky they were going the day before his meeting with Makoto.

* * *

Makoto was glad his day at work went on without any major incidences. And he was in a better mood than usual since he would be seeing Haru tomorrow night. He couldn't help but hum a bit as he grabbed his bag from his locker to take a shower and change into his regular clothes.

"Makoto, you've been in some strange moods lately. A couple weeks ago ya came in lookin' like your puppy got ran over - now you're over here humming and smiling. What's gotten into ya?"

Makoto didn't notice his friend and co-worker coming over to the locker next to him and stopped humming.

"Ah, just a lot has been going on, I guess? I think I was just having a bad day that one time..." Makoto knew his friend was talking about the day he had to come into work right after he and Haru parted. He really didn't expect to get so upset, but he ended up having a hard time getting rest after going home.

"Hmm..." the man seemed to be in thought. "Young people are such a mystery. You sure you ain't found a girl and aren't telling me?"

"No, I told you its not that..." Makoto chuckled nervously, shutting his locker. He wondered why his friend never stopped asking about that.

"Ah, I give up then," the man threw his hands in the air.

"Well, I am going to meet up with a friend after this. And no, its not a girl," Makoto added, knowing the man would try to make something out of it.

"Good for you then, you deserve some fun for working so hard lately. Let's hit the showers!" And his friend was off, Makoto following behind.

Makoto requested to get the days after he saw Haru off every week, so his work load shifted slightly to where he was working more hours less days. He didn't necessarily mind because it meant he got to see Haru and not worry about going into work after staying up all night. And Haru said it wasn't a problem for him to meet during the early morning hours either, so it worked out well.

Today, though, Rei had requested to meet up with him. And seeing as how Rei was so much help with Haru, Makoto figured it was the least he could do to treat him to dinner.

It didn't take long for Rei to show up at the restaurant. Of course, he was a stickler for being on time. They greeted each other, got their orders in, and made a little bit of light talk before Rei got onto why he wanted to see Makoto that day.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about Haruka," Rei said.

"Oh! What is it about? He healed up very well, by the way," Makoto said with a kind smile.

"Ah, I'm glad," Rei returned the smile, "But its more like... I wanted to talk about what Haruka  _is_."

Makoto cocked his head to the side in slight confusion. "What do you mean? He's a mermaid, right? But I guess that isn't an actual  _species_  in science, huh?"

"Well... Yes, if I were to see someone like Haruka, I would undoubtedly call him a 'mermaid'," Rei agreed. "But after the initial shock of seeing him... I began to wonder how Haruka even exists."

Makoto furrowed his brows, "What are you saying?"

"Hmm," Rei placed a hand on his chin. "What if during the evolution of humans, there was a group who decided to migrate to the water? Would they thrive?"

"I'm... not sure... If it were humans today, I don't think they'd last very long," Makoto replied, not quite sure where Rei was headed with the conversation.

"Very true, modern humans would most likely not bode well for the most part," Rei nodded, "But this would not be modern humans. They might not even be H _omo sapiens_. But they would be quite close. Lets say this group managed to adapt to a water-based lifestyle. This would start them on a different path of evolution separate from modern day humans."

Makoto nodded and Rei continued.

"Creatures of the water are quite unique compared to creatures who mostly reside on land. There are also many mammals who depend heavily on water, but do not live in it. All of them have hair, which is a common trait of land mammals - humans also have hair, just not as much. But mammals that live in the sea - they don't have hair. See what I'm getting at?"

"...Maybe?" Makoto scratched his head.

"Take whales and dolphins, for example. They are mammals that live in the water. They breath air, and yet they live an aquatic lifestyle. They would die if they were taken out of the water. They are mammals that adapted to that lifestyle. A mammal that lives in the water requires no hair. They have a thick layer of fat and smooth skin. They do not have gills or scales. Makoto-senpai... if we had a human ancestor in the water - they would have these traits as well."

It slowly started to dawn on him. The things Rei was saying made sense. But... Haru was nothing like that. He looked like humans from the waist up, and had a beautiful tail of scales and dark, black hair.

"Is it really not possible for them to have evolved a different way?" He asked.

"I really doubt it..." Rei replied. "Honestly, I'm at a loss over how Haruka is real... and how there are more of his kind in existence. I observed the scales he gave me... they aren't much different from fish scales. It's... impossible that he has scales resembling a fish, gills resembling a fish, and yet has the body of a human. It's like... he jumped straight out of a fairy tail."

Makoto gasped, his eyes widening slightly. "A fairy tail..." He said under his breath.

"It is one of the biggest mysteries I have ever seen... If only there was a way to do further research..."

"Rei, you wouldn't!" Makoto looked up at him with sad eyes.

Rei chuckled a bit, "Makoto-senpai, I've met Haruka. He might not be the most social being, but he has feelings and is kind. He's an intelligent species, and it would sadden me to see his kind be destroyed in the name of science. Despite my urge to know more, I would rather not have them be disturbed."

Makoto sighed in relief and smiled, "Of course, I shouldn't have doubted you."

"They mysteries of the mermaid will haunt me for life though!" Rei chuckled again. "But I'm lucky to have met Haruka..."

"Me too," Makoto said softly. And he found himself even more anxious to see Haru again.

* * *

Makoto got to the shore a little early. He didn't want Haru to wait for him - it also helped just in case there might be other people around. But as a small and mostly unused beach, it felt pretty safe for them to spend their short time together. As their meeting time approached, Makoto felt oddly nervous. He wondered if this was going to happen every time. And when he saw Haru peek his head out of the water, he felt his heart jump a little and couldn't help but smile.

"Hey, Haru," he greeted as Haru made his way onto shore.

Haru didn't say anything as he slid up next to Makoto and wrapped his arms around his torso. Makoto chuckled, patting Haru's back warmly. Makoto was wearing his swim trunks and a button up shirt he didn't mind getting wet and sandy. He knew for Haru he'd at least need to keep his fin wet, so the two had to sit close to the water if they wanted to sit next to each other. And with Haru being so clingy, Makoto didn't have much of a choice.

"How was your week?" Makoto asked, gently stroking Haru's head.

"Fine. Nothing exciting. My parents went out to hunt for food for a few days, they'll be back tomorrow. Then I'll have to help with the distributing," Haru talked softly, leaning his head against Makoto's shoulder after letting go of his embrace. He grabbed hold of Makoto's hand, who didn't seem to mind.

"Oh yeah, you told me that's what your parents do. Do you miss them when they're gone?" Makoto asked.

Haru shrugged, "They've been doing that since before I was born, so I'm used to it. And they're never gone for very long."

"Haru's parents must be brave and strong," Makato commented.

"They are," Haru said quietly.

"Oh, Rei says hello! I talked to him yesterday - he was glad to hear that you were doing well," Makoto said cheerily.

"Rei... is a nice human too," Haru replied.

Makoto cocked his head a bit, "Yes, Rei is very kind. I'm not sure what I would've done to save you without him."

"So there are nice humans besides Makoto," Haru sat up.

Makoto turned his head to look over at Haru, "Of course there is!" He chuckled slightly.

Makoto wasn't sure why Haru would ask for such a conformation. If the world was filled with only hateful people, surely it would be a lot different.

"Oh! The other day, can you believe it - I had to rescue a kitten! Goodness knows how a little kitten got stuck in a tree. It was like out of a book! It was soooo cute too..."

Haru enjoyed just listening to Makoto, no matter what he was talking about. Sometimes he could swear Makoto forgot that he was a mermaid, because occasionally he would talk about things Haru wasn't quite sure of what they were. But watching Makoto talk excitedly about something just made Haru happy. He felt silly when he found that behavior similar to the fairy tale he told Makoto, about how the fish just enjoyed watching the man talk without any care for what it was about.

"And can you believe my senpai almost entered me for some sexy fireman calendar shoot? I always thought he was kidding, but he almost did it! I was lucky I was there to stop it, he's really too much sometimes," Makoto huffed.

"Makoto," Haru spoke up. Makoto turned his attention on him. "I made this for you..."

Haru pulled what seemed to be a bracelet off of his wrist and held it out to Makoto.

"You made this?" Makoto asked, gingerly taking it from Haru's hand.

Haru nodded, "Its... nothing very special. Children make them all the time for each other. I was spending time with a child of one of the parents that go out for hunts and she wanted to make some, so..."

"I love it!" Makoto said gleefully, slipping it onto his wrist. It seemed to be made of tightly woven plants with small, colorful, pebbles tied into it.

"I don't know how it'll hold up above water though," Haru added.

"Ah, I'll try to keep it in good condition," Makoto commented, admiring it on his wrist. "Thank you, Haru," he smiled warmly, looking Haru in the eyes.

That kind, genuine smile always got to Haru. It always made his chest feel tight. He rested his head against Makoto's shoulder again. "Mhm..."

They sat there a little while longer, and Haru could tell that sunset was approaching soon. Yet again, he didn't want to leave. He wished he could just go home with Makoto.

"Guess its almost time to leave..." Makoto said quietly as he looked at the time on his phone.

Haru wrapped his arms around Makoto again and squeezed tightly.

"We'll see each other next week," Makoto said gently as he wrapped his own arm around Haru.

"Give me a kiss..." Haru said, his voice muffled against Makoto.

"Huh?"

Haru lifted his head, "I want Makoto to kiss me goodbye."

If he and Makoto couldn't stay together, if they weren't able to see each other no more than a few hours a week, Haru wanted to at least feel Makoto's lips again. He wasn't sure if this would just make everything worse, but he loved Makoto. If this was the most he could get, he was going to take it.

Makoto showed a face of slight worry and concern, and maybe a little pity and hesitation. "Are you sure, Haru?"

"Yes," Haru said firmly. He wasn't one to beg, but Makoto made him do a lot of things he wasn't used to.

Makoto smiled slightly, despite the expression he was wearing a few seconds ago. He gently ran his fingers through Haru's hair, leaning towards Haru to leave a kiss on his lips. Haru took in every moment of it, pushing forward slightly in the hopes that their lips would linger just a bit longer.

When they separated, Haru knew his face was probably red from how warm it felt and hid it against Makoto's arm. Because the sun had started to rise, he knew Makoto would be able to see his face in the light.

* * *

Makoto wasn't sure what exactly was going on. And more than that, he now wasn't sure how he felt about Haru. Of course he still enjoyed being around Haru and talking to him, he was always a little happier on the days he knew they were going to meet, but now their relationship seemed to be a little... different.

On their second meeting after Haru's return home, Haru had asked for another kiss. The first time Makoto kissed Haru, he figured it was just to satiate Haru's curiosity. It was something simple that Makoto could do, so he did it. Plus he liked Haru, he didn't think something like a simple kiss would change much about that. But Haru had asked for another, and Makoto wasn't sure what to think about that.

And with their second kiss, Haru seemed eager. And Makoto wasn't sure what to do about it. When Haru asked for a third kiss... Makoto thought he would try explaining to Haru that kissing between friends wasn't really something that was done. But there was... something about Haru that Makoto couldn't say no to. Maybe it was his face filled with want. Maybe it was Haru's lips that seemed ready any moment to be met with his. Maybe it was how Haru's eyes pleaded for another kiss.

Whatever it was, Makoto couldn't hold himself back and kissed Haru for a third time... And now it seemed like every time they met, they kissed. It even got to the point that Haru didn't even have to ask, he'd just have to give Makoto that needing look and that was it.

And last time... The kiss was a little more then just a simple one. Without much thought, Makoto gently flicked his tongue along Haru's lips which spurred on a soft sigh. Something about that just set something off in him and he wanted the kiss to be deeper... more passionate...

If Makoto was just attempting to have 'friendly' kisses before, he definitely screwed it up last time. The only thing that saved him was that he finally came to his senses, jerking away from Haru in surprise and apologizing profusely. The sun was also coming up by that time, so he guessed he was saved by that as well.

Now he was feeling a bit more nervous than usual as he sat next to Haru on their weekly meeting. As usual, Haru was leanin against him. He actually didn't mind that Haru did that, because he knew it made Haru happy.

Really, how did he feel about Haru? For the last few weeks that question wouldn't get off his mind. He wanted Haru to be happy, Haru made him happy. His smile, his stories - him just being there with him made everything better. He was sad when they had to part, he missed him when they weren't together. Maybe... maybe he loved him? But a love like this could never be. Haru belonged in the ocean... with his own kind.

He looked down at his wrist at the bracelet Haru had made him. He made sure to keep it in the best condition possible. He always took it off for work since it was policy, but also he would hate for it to get ruined. Just this small gift from Haru had quickly become one of his most treasured possessions.

As Makoto was thinking, he felt Haru's head lift off his shoulder and warm lips press against his cheek.

"Haru?" Makoto turned his head, and before he could react Haru's lips were now against his.

Kissing Haru became something familiar, yet still refreshing. He never minded kissing Haru. And lately, it made his chest feel warm, all the way up to his ears.

Makoto gently placed a hand on the back of Haru's neck, continuing the kiss, lightly sucking on Haru's bottom lift. Ah, there it was, that ever so soft moan Haru made the last time Makoto made the kiss deeper. Just that alone made Makoto's mind cloud over - it made him want more.

Makoto gently prodded Haru's lips mid-kiss, and Haru obediently separated them, allowing Makoto's tongue into his mouth. Makoto wondered if kissing was just instinctual, because Makoto didn't even have to teach him anything about kissing, yet Haru moved his tongue gently around Makoto's with ease.

Their mouths separated for a moment to catch their breaths, Haru's eyes were watery and lingered on Makoto's face. "Makoto..." he said in a raspy, quiet voice.

Something primal was begging to be let out in Makoto seeing Haru in such a state. He gently pushed Haru against the sand as he pressed his mouth against Haru's again, this time his tongue immediately finding its way into Haru's mouth.

Every time he gave a light suck to Haru's lip, he let out that soft moan. Makoto wanted to hear it more. He positioned himself above Haru, propping himself up with one arm and using the other to rub his hand against Haru's chest as their lips continued to move against each other's.

Haru let out a more audible sound as Makoto brushed against one of his nipples. He could feel Haru start to shiver beneath him. Then he realized... maybe he was going a bit overboard...

Makoto stopped and lifted his head away from Haru, who's chest was now rising and falling heavily, and his eyes even more teary.

"S-Sorry, Haru... again, I..." Makoto stammered, trying to move away from Haru.

But he was stopped by Haru's hand grabbing his arm.

"No... Its okay," Haru said, still trying to catch his breath.

"But we shouldn't do this..." Makoto said, quietly, looking down at Haru's flushed face.

Haru released his grip on Makoto and attempted to sit up. Makoto got out of his way and went back to a sitting position. He watched Haru run his hands down his fin and look over at him.

"I want to have legs," Haru said in a slightly strained voice.

"W-What?" Makoto asked, a little shocked at Haru's sudden statement.

"I don't want to be a mermaid anymore," Haru looked down at his fin. "I want to be a human."

"What are you saying?" Makoto turned his body to face Haru.

"I want to be with you," Haru gave Makoto a serious look. "I can't be with you if I'm a mermaid - I hate only meeting once a week!"

"Haru..." Makoto looked down at Haru's fin as well. Haru's fin that he always found beautiful. "I wish we could see each other more often too, but... what about your family?"

"They'd understand..." Haru said quietly.

"But you're saying this like... it could actually happen," Makoto said.

"What if it can?" Haru replied.

Makoto stayed silent, remembering the conversation he had with Rei. How Haru's existence was a phenomena, a miracle. How he said someone like Haru was out of a storybook...

"But what if that fairy tale isn't true...?" Makoto said softly. "And besides, you have to be in love, right?"

"I am in love," Haru replied instantly.

Makoto looked at him in shock.

"I love you, Makoto. I love you so much..." Haru's voice was strained as if he was fighting back tears.

"Haru..." Makoto said, his mouth agape.

Haru loved him... and maybe he felt the same way. But knowing that they were so different, Makoto probably hadn't allowed himself to fall in love. But Haru... Haru couldn't help but fall in love. He could see it in his face. Haru was already in love and there wasn't anything he could do about it.

"Haru-chan..." Makoto gently pat the mermaid's head, trying to comfort Haru from the pain he had obviously been feeling over this.

"I thought I told you not to say my name like that..." Haru said, his voice slightly raspy.

Makoto chuckled a bit, and despite the situation, he felt grim. Even if some wild happenstance granted Haru legs... This was something that wasn't meant to be.

"Haru... there's no way you could leave your village... your parents..."

"I told you I'd work something out."

"And we don't even know if that fairy tale is true."

"Why are you saying these things?" Haru looked at Makoto a little angrily.

Makoto wanted nothing more than to say that he loved Haru too, to tell him he wanted to live together with him too. But he wasn't going to be the reason for Haru to throw his life away.

"Haru... besides Rei, I'm the only human you know, right?"

"... Yeah," Haru responded.

"What if someone else had found you, what if someone else had taken care of you and befriended you...?"

"What are you saying...?"

"What if you had grown close to another human. Would you have fallen in love with them too?"

Makoto's heart felt like it was going to break in two, but if this was going to prevent Haru from making a mistake, from having a life isolated to a pool in the middle of his living room, from being miserable and stuck at home, living only to wait for Makoto's return home, then...

"...How could you say that...?" Haru's voice was shaky, his face was hardened into a scowl. "How could you say that?!" He shouted.

Makoto couldn't bring himself to look at him, "I think its a plausible ques-"

And then he felt it. A hard sting across his cheek.

"You're an idiot!" He heard Haru yell angrily. Tears falling down his cheek.

Makoto wanted to shout that he didn't feel that way at all, his throat felt so constricted, his chest hurt so much. The pain on his cheek didn't amount to it. Just turning his head and seeing Haru's sad face hurt enough for all the pain the world.

"Haru-"

Before Makoto got to say anything more, Haru had already began sliding into the water.

"Haru!" Makoto shouted, standing up and walking into the water. "Haru, wait, please!"

Makoto waded out to his waist, but there was no way he would ever catch up to Haru - he was long gone. Makoto slowly made the trek back to the shore, the sun now fully risen into the sky.

He never hated himself more than at that moment. There was probably a better way to deal with this, but he felt so stupid for not thinking of it. He wished he was more selfish, he wished he could've told Haru that he wanted to just take him home and keep him there forever. But doing that to Haru would be cruel. Rei was right, Haru's kind deserve to live a full life, not to be interfered with by humans.

Haru would find someone else one day... another mermaid. Then he'd realize how a life with a human wouldn't be as fulfilling. That's what Makoto hoped. He finally realized that he loved Haru so much, but he could never bring himself to take a fulfilling future away from him.

Imagining Haru magically growing legs and becoming human was whimsical at most. Makoto wanted to believe that the fairy tale was real. But if it was, surely Haru would've gotten legs by now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me just keep making this more painful! ;▽; I swear that this isn't a sad story in the end, hah.
> 
> Also, I think of _The Man I Love_ sung by Zebedy Colt for Haru's little dream~ (if you're curious, look it up!)  
>  Another inspired part of this chapter was from a mockumentary about mermaids I watched called _Mermaids: The Body Found_. So that's where I got the idea for Rei's conversation. I hope it isn't too inaccurate from a scientific standpoint, heh.
> 
> But thank you so, so, much for following this story and all the kind words! I've grown to love this pairing more and more ever since Free! started and I'm happy to see other people love these two as well.
> 
> See you next time~ :*


	7. Chapter 7

Ever since Makoto's less than ideal way of parting with Haru, he hadn't seen the mermaid since. Every week he'd go to the beach at their meeting time and would wait until sunrise, hoping that Haru would come swimming up. But weeks passed and Makoto would leave without having even caught a glimpse of the mermaid.

He couldn't blame him, really. Confessing and being turned down so harshly would surely affect someone at least a little. And Makoto couldn't get Haru's devastated face out of his head. He wanted to make everything better so badly - but he still wasn't sure if he could take Haru away from the ocean.

Even so, nothing was going to stop Makoto from visiting the beach every week. There was no other way of contacting Haru, so he could do nothing but hope that Haru would eventually decide to come back. No, Makoto knew he would. And he'd make as many trips as he had to to see Haru again.

But it was hard. Going back to his apartment another week without seeing Haru was difficult for his optimism. Makoto knew that Haru ended up being that missing piece in his life. Makoto could tell his usual cheerful and upbeat demeanor wasn't the same; his friends and co-workers even took notice. Rei even seemed a little worried about it.

The weather was starting to get cooler and the nights were chilly, so Makoto now had to go to the beach a little bundled up. He figured it would be cold for Haru above the water, so he would bring a warm jacket for him too. Just in case.

But it was like every other night - Haru didn't show up. Makoto wondered if he'd have to wait even when it began to start snowing. Well, he'd do it if he had to.

The night seemed chillier than the previous ones, but hours passed and Makoto remained alone on the beach. Every week became more difficult to keep up his positive attitude for the next, but he managed to do so.

With the rising of another sun, Makoto spent yet another lonely night on the beach, his hope dwindling but never ending.

* * *

"Makoto... I hope this isn't out of line, but you really look like shit. What's wrong with you lately?"

Makoto and a few of the other firemen on duty were in the break room, waiting for any sort of call for emergency.

"Ah, I'm just really having a rough time. That's all," He tried to shrug it off with a slight laugh, but the bags under his eyes didn't lie.

His friend grunted, not satisfied with the answer that Makoto had already given him a few times. "Well, I know you don't like me prying in your business, but if there's anything you need help with you can ask me."

"Thanks, senpai, I know," Makoto really did appreciate it, but there was nothing the man could do. This was something Makoto had to deal with on his own.

His co-worker still didn't seem happy about it, but let Makoto go and avoided the subject for the rest of the day.

Makoto enjoyed his job most of the time, but at that moment, there was nothing he wanted more to do than go home and sleep until the next day. He wasn't able to fall asleep the previous day after returning from the beach. He thought he'd be able to handle waiting week after week for Haru... but he wasn't sure how much longer he could take being disappointed every time.

Giving up never seemed like an option... but... maybe, it was for the best? Makoto hated the thought that kept him awake.

* * *

A week later, Makoto was awoken by his cell ringing nonstop. It was a little after 10 AM, he stayed up all night at the beach the previous night and his shift was later that day, so this was precious sleep being wasted. But with the caller being persistent, it must be something important.

He sleepily reached over towards the nightstand next to his bed and checked the screen - it was Rin. What would he need so urgently?

Makoto answered the phone in a drowsy voice. "Hey, Rin, whats up?"

"Makoto. Get to the station ASAP."

Rin's voice was firm, it was almost scary.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Makoto sat up, feeling a jolt of worry.

"I can't explain it all over the phone. You need to get down here now," Rin's voice was still stern.

Before Makoto could reply, he heard the line cut off. Rin wasn't one to really joke about serious things, so Makoto knew this was something important.

His heart raced a bit as he got dressed and left the house quickly. Rin didn't sound happy at all, this must be something urgent. Makoto was feeling... a little scared. What if something really awful happened?

The drive to the station wasn't very far, so he got there in about fifteen minutes. When he asked the person at the reception where Rin was, they quickly directed him to a room down one of the halls.

Makoto stopped in front of the door, his heart still beating fast. He took a deep breath before knocking on the door. He heard muffled footsteps from the other side getting closer before a clack of the handle being turned.

Rin's expression on his face was even more stern than his voice was. He looked borderline angry.

"Come in," he said in a steady voice.

Makoto did as he was told and stepped in. Immediately, he audibly gasped at the sight he saw in front of him. He felt like even his knees might give.

"Haru!" He managed to irk out in his utter shock.

Haru was sitting there. Right in front of him. Haru, who he hadn't seen for several weeks was right in front of him again. He wore strange, used looking clothes that were several sizes too big for him. His arm was cuffed to the side of a desk that was bolted down to the floor.

But even more shocking than anything that Makoto was taking in at that moment - even more shocking than the fact that Haru was actually  _there_  - was the fact that he had legs. His fin was completely gone - as if it were never there in the first place. Haru was sitting there, just like a normal human. His gills were nowhere to be seen either.

"Makoto!" Haru responded immediately and attempted to stand, only to fall on his side with his wrist pulled by the restraints.

Makoto quickly ran over to help Haru back onto the chair, then looked over at Rin, his face still filled with shock. "How... what happened?"

"That's what I want to know," Rin crossed his arms.

Makoto looked over at Haru. He looked so tired, but it couldn't hide the elation on his face. Had he really not been avoiding Makoto on purpose? There were so many things he wanted to ask Haru, but he got a feeling that now was not the time.

Rin let out a sigh. "Do you know how we found him?"

Makoto shook his head, "I-I have no idea..."

"Naked on the damn beach!" Rin furrowed his brow. "Someone called in about some drunk floppin' around on the beach with no clothes on. One of our guys went to respond to the call. When he questioned him, he didn't seem to know where he was. He only gave his first name and asked where 'Makoto' was. My guy felt like he was definitely on something and attempted to cuff him and bring him to the station. This guy couldn't even stand up and walk so the officer had to go and carry him! He seemed compliant at first, probably because of the cold, but once he was taken to the car, he apparently started to wig out a bit and kept asking for 'Makoto' and struggled with the officer."

Rin let out another sigh. Haru was saying nothing. This whole situation was so bizarre. Makoto could only half pay attention to what Rin was saying because everything felt like he was still asleep and dreaming.

"My guy finally got him to settle down after telling him he'd take him to 'Makoto' later. He brought that change of clothes from the station for him too. But once they got to the station and he realized he wasn't where he wanted to be, he got a bit hostile again. I came over to help and I could hear him keep saying 'I want to see Makoto'. Once we finally got him to settle down I asked him who this 'Makoto' was. And imagine my damn surprise when he responds with 'He's a fireman. Makoto Tachibana'."

Rin glared in Makoto's direction.

"What the hell is going on, Makoto? Why is this guy with no ID, no prints on file, apparently no last name, flipping around in the nude and looking for you?"

"I..." Makoto didn't even know how to explain it. Like Rin would believe him if he said that until recently, Haru was a mermaid and doesn't really know anyone else but him. He lifted his eyes to Rin, being as sincere as possible. "I... I can explain it, but right now I can't."

"Huh?!" Rin was obviously not happy with that answer as he raised his voice.

"Please, Rin! I need to take Haru home, please let him off," Makoto pleaded. "He's gone through a lot... he's confused. I'm the only person he really knows and he needs my help."

Rin's hard exterior was ever so slightly cracking over Makoto's earnest plea.

"I promise Haru isn't bad... And I promise I'll explain everything to you later if you just drop this... I know this is asking a lot, but I'll pay you back somehow."

Rin grumbled to himself about how 'dropping this' wasn't easy and that this would typically land this guy in jail at least overnight and go on his permanent record. He crossed his arms again.

"... You absolutely promise me you'll keep this guy in check? And that you'll explain EVERYTHING to me later?"

"Yes! Absolutely," Makoto nodded.

Before Rin could answer, they were interrupted by a knock on the door. Rin went over to answer and another officer walked in.

"Here's the report," his voice was deep and he was just as tall, maybe even taller than Makoto.

"Thanks, Sousuke," Rin grabbed the file.

Makoto noticed Haru shift in his seat out of the corner of his eye. He looked down at him to see Haru glaring daggers at the other officer.

"This is the officer that arrested him," Rin cut in.

"Oh," Makoto looked back over at Sousuke. "I'm so sorry! To both of you!" Makoto bowed deeply.

Rin clicked his tongue. Sousuke let out a short hmph.

"You responsible for this guy? Maybe tell him he shouldn't go out streaking and to not resist arrest," the man named Sousuke said in a gruff tone.

Makoto hung his head dejectedly as he felt a tug on his shirt.

"I want to go home," Haru finally spoke after having stayed quiet during the whole conversation.

"Fine. We'll drop it. No charges were pressed, luckily," Rin sighed, tossing the file on his desk.

"What!? Are you kidding me?" Sousuke's voice boomed as he looked angrily over at Rin.

"That's my decision," Rin shrugged his shoulders at the intimidating man in front of him.

"I-Its my fault. Rin is doing this for me," Makoto approached Sousuke cautiously.

"Who are you to Rin that he does you such a favor like this for, huh?" Sousuke turned his attention to Makoto.

"He's a local firefighter from the station not far from here," Rin interjected. "I'm just doing him a favor. I trust him."

"I don't know how letting this weirdo go is a favor to him!" Sousuke pointed at Haru which earned him a glare. "Do you know how much of a pain it was to get him here?"

"Sousuke - I'm your superior. What I say goes," Rin said with finality.

Sousuke let out a hard tsk, knowing he was defeated.

"Officer Sousuke... Thank you. I promise Haru won't cause anymore trouble. I know you must be a good guy because you care about upholding the law so much," Makoto tried talking in a calming voice, possibly to cut through the tense atmosphere of the room.

"Whatever. I'm just doing what I'm told," Sousuke grumbled, only sparing Makoto a glance.

It took only a few minutes and a couple more apologies and thanks from Makoto later to get Haru to his car safe and sound.

Haru looked exhausted, but the list of questions Makoto now had was immense.

"Haru, are you feeling alright?" Makoto asked as he started up the car.

"Nn," Haru nodded, resting his head against the window.

"Um..." Where was he going to begin? The glaring question was, of course, how Haru's fin had turned into legs. Even more than meeting an actual mermaid, seeing one grow legs and become a seemingly normal human was even more bizarre.

Makoto gripped the steering wheel a bit as he drove. Trying to think of something to say.

But before he could speak, he noticed Haru was already fast asleep. Well, at least that gave him more time to think about everything that happened that morning.

When they arrived at the apartment, Makoto carried Haru up and set him down on his bed. Haru was still fast asleep. Makoto figured he'd let him have his rest before asking the line of questions he had in his head.

But now he had to worry about what to do with work. The last time he took off was because of Haru too. But since he wasn't one to take off from work very often, maybe he'd get off easy for calling in and asking last minute. Maybe someone could cover for him.

He ended up being able to call into work and get the day off unscathed (thank goodness).

* * *

"Makoto..."

Makoto heard a soft voice call his name while he was in the kitchen and hurried to his bedroom. He saw Haru trying to sit himself up on the bed.

"How are you feeling, Haru?" Makoto walked in and sat on the bed next to him.

"I'm fine," Haru said in a groggy voice.

"Um, how about a bath?" Makoto offered. Haru wasn't a mermaid anymore... but even humans like a nice relaxing bath. Especially after an ordeal.

Haru hesitated for a moment, "Alright."

Makoto nodded and got up to start the bath. As he watched the water run and checked the temperature, he realized this wouldn't quite be like putting him in the bath like he had before. Haru wasn't a mermaid anymore, so...

It wasn't like Haru could get in the bath himself. It was obvious he didn't know how to use his legs yet. That was just begging for an accident to happen.

So he guessed that meant... he had to take Haru's clothes off for him and put him into the bath.

Makoto swallowed a small lump in his throat. It wasn't like Haru was a girl and it wasn't like Haru hadn't already seen  _him_  naked. So this shouldn't be that weird. But, he had feelings for Haru... And he couldn't help but let his mind wander about how different Haru's lower body was now compared to before...

No, no, he couldn't think such unclean thoughts about Haru! He'd surely look away and give Haru his privacy. Well... Makoto apparently wasn't the first to see Haru in the nude since he'd gotten his legs. Officer Souske had the honor of that. Honor probably isn't what the officer would call it, though.

With a sigh, Makoto left the bathroom and headed back towards the bedroom.

"Alright, the bath is- Ah!" Makoto jumped and covered his face at the same time as he rounded the corner to his bedroom to see Haru already stark naked.

"What is it?" Haru asked, unfazed.

"W-Why'd you take your clothes off!" Makoto's voiced squeaked a bit.

"I hate wearing them," Haru stated simply. "And you don't get in a bath with clothes on, right?"

"Y-Yeah, but I have to carry you..." Makoto mumbled.

"I don't mind if you see," Haru replied.

"Haru... That's not the point..." Makoto grumbled.

"... Fine, I'll put the pants back on," Haru sighed.

Makoto turned his back and waited for Haru to get semi-dressed. He heard the sounds of what seemed like a struggle as Haru grumbled and material shuffled.

"... I don't know how to put them back on," Haru said after about a minute.

Makoto groaned a little in his throat. "Its okay... I'll just carry you like that."

He finally faced Haru again, trying a little too hard not to look anywhere near his pelvic area.

Haru reached out as he usually did when he was a mermaid to be held up. Makoto thought it was still cute, and it calmed him down a bit.

It was inevitable he'd see every bit of Haru as he reached to hoist him up and placed his arm under his legs. Yep, Haru definitely was human everywhere now. Makoto merely glanced, but he could definitely confirm Haru had the extra bit between his legs that the average human male would. Thankfully, the sight of it didn't send him in a tizzy and he lifted Haru up off the bed with no problem.

He carried Haru to the bathroom as he had many times and set him into the bathtub. Haru seemed happy to be in the water despite not being a mermaid anymore.

"Do you... want to be alone?" Makoto asked.

"... No." Haru replied, pausing for a bit before speaking up again. "I'm sure you want to ask me a lot of things."

Haru could probably see it on Makoto's face that he was dying to say something.

"Yeah, actually," Makoto chuckled nervously a bit. He sat on the edge of the tub and looked over at Haru. "But first I want to apologize..."

Haru looked up at Makoto.

"I'm sorry, Haru. The last time we met... I was too cruel to you. I didn't take your feelings seriously and I said something so harsh..." Makoto rubbed his neck. "I was... scared of my own feelings. And I was scared of taking you away from your home."

Haru ran his hands through the water. "Its okay. After thinking it over, I knew Makoto had a reason to say those things. I knew Makoto wasn't trying to be mean."

"B-But why... didn't I see you again after that?" Makoto blurted out. He couldn't help but admit that he felt a little hurt every time he went to the beach and Haru never showed up.

"My parents found out I was sneaking out..." Haru said softly, casting his eyes downward.

"Eh?" Makoto shifted a bit on the tub's edge.

"They didn't want me seeing you. I never told you because I knew you'd worry about it. But apparently they found out and they got upset."

"Haru..."

"So I told them that I fell in love with you."

"Huh?" Makoto's mouth dropped.

"They were even angrier about that. But I told them I wouldn't change my mind. Even if I tried to sneak out, they'd always catch me. But finally they gave in when I said I'd never find a mate if I couldn't be with you."

Haru said all this with a straight face, but Makoto couldn't help but be a little shocked.

"Don't worry - I said my proper goodbyes to everyone when I left."

"B-But... That's where you grew up, and everyone you know is there..." Makoto felt a little guilty somehow.

"I know, but I was prepared for it," Haru said. "I know there will be days when I miss it, but its what I wanted."

Makoto was silent for a moment. "You didn't have your legs then, right?"

"No. I was just going to go back and tell you I left home. I didn't think I'd get legs," Haru replied.

"Then... How...?"

"I'm not sure either," Haru sighed. "I was close to the beach for our meeting time and... after that its all fuzzy. The next thing I knew I was on the beach and I had legs. I was confused, I tried to walk but I didn't know how to and would fall every time. Then that officer came..."

The mystery of how Haru lost his fin wasn't solved, but at least Makoto knew why Haru never showed up for weeks. How could he have ever doubted Haru?

"Makoto..." Haru's voice spoke up again. "... Are you angry?"

"Huh? Of course not!" Makoto shook his head. "Why would I be?"

"Because... I did all of this without even considering how you feel. I left behind everything..." Haru turned his head away from Makoto.

Makoto could feel his heart clench in his chest. Slowly, he reached out and ran his fingers through Haru's hair.

"I missed you."

Haru turned his head to see the familiar kind smile.

"It might sound selfish, but I'm glad you're here."

Haru simply nodded, resting his head against Makoto's hand.

It was comforting to have Haru back. His apartment felt so lonely without him.

But this changed everything - what was he going to do now? Haru didn't know much about how to be a human. Makoto would have to teach him a lot, even how to walk. Would he struggle and regret his decision to live above the water? Would he wish to return to his home? And of course there was the fact of what Haru was even going to do now as a human. Makoto would let him live with him as long as he wanted, but what if Haru wanted to one day live on his own?

Makoto noticed Haru starting to slip slowly into the bath up to his nose.

"Ah, Haru, you can't breathe in water anymore, remember?"

Haru looked up and propped himself up a bit, "I forgot."

Makoto sighed. He'd probably have to keep an eye on Haru while in the bath too. And now he was suddenly thinking of how getting him out and drying him off was going to go...

* * *

Haru managed to dry off on his own after the bath, but it took a bit of convincing to get him to put on clothes again.

"No one's going to see," Haru retorted. "So I don't need to wear clothes, right?"

"But I'll see!" Makoto pleaded.

"But you've already seen."

Makoto sighed, "Haru, normally people where clothes even at home."

Haru still seemed reluctant.

"How about just a pair of shorts at least?" Makoto suggested. "I won't make you wear a shirt. Or even underwear."

"...Fine," Haru said, giving in.

And of course, Makoto had to help him get them on. And even then, they were way too big for Haru and would probably slip off if he stood up. Good thing he couldn't. Going clothes shopping was definitely something they had to do soon.

Makoto carried Haru onto the couch and handed him the remote.

"I'm sure you missed your shows?" Makoto smiled.

"Maybe..." Haru said as he turned on the TV.

Makoto then went to the kitchen to make them dinner. Haru slept for quite a while (Makoto took a nap as well) so he was probably starving. Makoto made some simple food that he knew how to make without completely messing it up. Just some vegetables he knew that Haru liked and rice. He wished he would've had some fish too.

"So, I guess the first thing we should do is teach you how to walk, huh?" Makoto said as the two ate their meal.

"That seems like a good idea," Haru agreed. "I wonder why the girl in the story could walk but I can't..."

Makoto chuckled. Believing a fairy tale would've sounded silly, but it already happened twice. "Well, I guess with those stories not everything is true, huh? Plus she desperately needed to reach her love before he passed."

"But I wanted to reach Makoto too," Haru replied.

Makoto looked over and smiled. "I know, but I ended up coming to get you, huh?"

"Mm," Haru nodded. "I didn't like that Sousuke guy though."

"Aww, he was just doing his job," Makoto said in his defense, "I'm sure if it were different circumstances you might've liked him."

"I don't know about that..." Haru mumbled. "The 'Rin' guy was alright I guess. Since he's your friend and he didn't get me in trouble. He was just kind of scary."

"Rin can be like that. He's just a serious kind of guy, but he's actually pretty nice."

"Are you really going to explain everything to him later?" Haru asked.

"Yeah... I owe it to him," Makoto sighed. "Maybe I can get Rei to back me up on it too. I don't think Rin would easily believe in something like mermaids, no less one turning into a human. I can't even believe it."

"Mm," Haru made an acknowledgment of what Makoto said and was quiet for a moment. "I... really was wondering why I hadn't gained legs all those times we were together. I wanted to believe the story was true... even if it sounded stupid."

Haru looked down at his lap.

"I know, Haru. I kinda wished it was true too. But I didn't want to take you away from your village..."

"But, I knew I wanted to be with Makoto. No matter what." The look in Haru's eyes were sincere as they lingered on Makoto's face. They even seemed to tear up a bit.

Makoto leaned closer to Haru, gently cupping his face. Haru's eyes lidded as Makoto inched his face closer to his and their lips met. It was a chaste, gentle kiss, but it warmed both their bodies.

"I wanted to be with you too," Makoto said softly, a slight grin on his face.

Haru said nothing before leaning in to kiss Makoto again. Makoto allowed Haru to do his he pleased as he gently kissed and sucked at his lips. Makoto opened his mouth slightly and Haru eagerly followed with the flow, easing his tongue into the other's mouth. Makoto's hand slowly moved down to Haru's hip as their kisses deepened and their breaths quickened.

Makoto was reminded of the sudden sensations that came along with kissing Haru, with touching his body, with being this sensual. They hadn't seen each other for a while, so it felt even more intense than before.

"Makoto..." Haru said when their lips separated in a raspy whisper, his face tinged with pink. "I... I want to mate."

"...Huh?" Makoto froze in place at Haru's words.

"Um, can two human men mate? Is it possible for one to get pregnant?" Haru's questions were earnest, but Makoto felt like his heart stopped beating for a moment.

"Uh... Uhh..." Makoto stuttered, placing his hands on Haru's shoulder. "M-Men can have s-sex but... they can't make a child..."

"Oh..." Haru looked a little disappointed.

"Er," Makoto didn't want to say this was killing the mood, but... "Don't you think its a little too early to think about that kind of thing?"

"I just want to make Makoto my mate, and even though its impossible I wanted to have your children..." Haru went on, being totally serious.

"Haru..." Makoto sighed, hanging his head. "I know the mermaids put importance on having children a little differently, but that's not how humans work."

"Oh..." Haru seemed a little confused.

"Look, I know how you feel, Haru, but we should take everything slow, yeah? Remember how I said humans usually date before getting married and having children?" Makoto tried to explain. "Some humans even take their time before having sex. Well, that's how I want to take it, anyway."

"Oh, I see," Haru took in the information. "Then when do we get married?"

Makoto sighed again, "Let's not think about that right now, alright? All that stuff will come later."

"... Fine," Haru gave up reluctantly. "But maybe since I grew legs, the same power that gave me that can make me pregnant with your child."

"Haruuu," Makoto was feeling mentally drained already.

"I was just kidding," he huffed.

"When you say stuff with a straight face like that it makes me think you're serious!" Makoto whined.

* * *

"Goodnight, Haru," Makoto was about to leave the bedroom before Haru spoke up.

"Why aren't you going to sleep in here too?" He asked.

"Oh, I was just going to sleep on the couch since you should have the bed," Makoto explained.

"I thought we might sleep together in the same bed now since I don't have to be in the water anymore..." Haru said, looking downtrodden. He really was pretty manipulative in his expressions, Makoto thought.

"Well..."

Makoto scratched the back of his head. He was thinking that something like sharing a bed was only for serious couples... But it was just sharing a bed, right? And it wasn't like it was tiny. A mattress was the one thing he splurged on when he moved, considering he needed good sleep for his job.

"Fine," Makoto smiled and shrugged. Of course... "mating" was out of the question, but he supposed he could let Haru indulge in one thing that was actually pretty innocent.

Makoto lifted the covers on the other side of the bed and got on. Haru turned on his side facing Makoto.

"Goodnight," Makoto repeated again, reaching for the switch of the lamp beside him.

Before he could turn it off, Haru tapped his arm.

"Aren't we supposed to kiss goodnight?" He asked, that earnest look on his face again?

"Huh?"

"The couples on TV always do it."

Makoto chuckled a sigh. Maybe the next thing would be to get Haru another hobby besides watching TV. He leaned in to give Haru a quick kiss on the lips.

"Goodnight, Haru," he said for a third time, turning off the light and settling into bed.

Makoto had never shared a bed with someone like this. At least, not someone that was a friend or a family member. But sharing a bed with Haru felt different. It felt nice. Sure it was going to take a lot to get Haru used to everything, there might be some struggles and frustrations, but Makoto was willing to go through all of that with him. Because Haru was the one that ended up making his life feel whole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haru really just wants to get to it and have mermaid babies, haha. Sorry, Haru, this isn't that kind of story. :  
> Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. I've been pretty slow with writing so I apologize if anyone follows my other stories and is patiently waiting for an update on them (it will get done!). But I'm happy to get another chapter of this one out since I was so eager to write it after being away from home for a while.
> 
> As usual, thanks for all the support and see you next time~! :*


	8. Chapter 8

The weeks to come were going to be difficult, Makoto knew that. Teaching Haru how to walk, basic manners in the human world, how to use devices the average citizen of Japan used in their daily lives (of course he already knew how to work the television). Even the not so glamorous parts like going to the bathroom, taking a shower and other basics of hygiene. Haru enjoyed bath time though, obviously.

It was a bit of a struggle to get Haru to wear clothes. Haru didn't get why he had to wear them when no one was looking, but Makoto persisted it was just a normal thing to do. So they ended up bargaining that Haru didn't have to wear a shirt in the house if he didn't want to. So Haru took advantage of that and rarely wore one.

Makoto tried to get Haru to walk as much as he could. With his help, of course. They would practice several times a day, but it seemed like after about a week he still wasn't ready to walk without holding on to Makoto's hands. But Haru was definitely getting the movement down. Maybe he just needed to build up his muscles, since Haru would say his legs were sore at the end of the day.

"Your walking is starting to look pretty good," Makoto said as lead Haru around his small living room.

"Mm, I kind of get it now," Haru replied.

Makoto led him to the couch and they both sat down. "How are your legs feeling?"

"They're fine," Haru massaged the muscles in his thighs.

"Pretty soon we'll be able to leave the house together," Makoto smiled.

"I'm fine just staying here with Makoto, though," Haru leaned against the other man.

"But if you don't leave the house we can't go to the pool or the beach. And you can't help me pick out fish for dinner," Makoto replied, wrapping his arm around Haru's waist.

"Hmm..." Haru thought for a moment, "I guess you're right."

Makoto chuckled a bit, "I think you'd have fun walking around and seeing everything. Besides, I feel bad leaving the house and leaving you behind."

The entire time Makoto knew Haru, it was impossible for him to take him anywhere. Now that Haru had legs, he wanted Haru to enjoy more things. And he'd be lying if he didn't say he kind of wanted to show off how great Haru was to others.

Haru nuzzled closer to Makoto; he really enjoyed when Haru was affectionate. The other man's skin was so soft and smooth - of course he wasn't wearing a shirt at the moment. Makoto wished Haru would wear shirts more often, because he really couldn't help but catch himself staring at the former mermaid's beautiful body sometimes. It was strange - Haru never wore a shirt before, and now that he was fully human and not constantly in an inflatable pool, his exposed skin seemed... different.

"Want to take a bath?" Makoto asked softly.

"If you come in with me," Haru replied.

"Sure," Makoto smiled gently, getting up from the couch to start the bath.

When it was finished filling up, Makoto walked back out to lead Haru to the bathroom. Haru managed to get his clothes off by himself and Makoto helped him step into the bathtub and sit down. Makoto followed suit, taking his clothes off as well. It was still a little embarrassing to be naked in front of Haru, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the first time.

He sat down in front of Haru in the small bath, hoping that he didn't fill the bath too much to displace water over the sides.

Haru's eyes were closed as he relished in the hot water around him. Makoto had added some bubble bath too so the suds nearly covered Haru's face.

"Does it feel good?" Makoto asked.

"Mhm," Haru said simply.

Makoto closed his eyes too. He took baths so much more often since Haru started living with him, he started to really enjoy them.

Makoto could hear and feel Haru shifting in the tub, and soon he felt the other man's skin brushing up against his legs and his arms.

"...Haru?" Makoto opened his eyes to see Haru getting closer to him, the other man's hands gripping the side of the tub. "What is it?" Makoto asked, a relaxed smile on his lips as he reached out and gently cupped the side of Haru's face.

Haru didn't respond, but diverted his gaze away from Makoto as he cheeks flushed slightly.

Makoto closed the small gap between there lips and gave Haru a simple kiss. Haru then turned his body around and sat, situating himself between Makoto's legs and leaning against his body. Makoto both loved and hated when Haru did this. He loved affectionate things like this that Haru did, and he loved feeling Haru's skin against his body, but he was also incredibly conscious of how close Haru managed to be while they were both naked...

Regardless, Makoto wrapped his arms around Haru's torso, letting the former mermaid rest his head against his shoulder. Haru let out a short sigh. It was times like this that Makoto was reminded of how lucky he was.

* * *

"Makoto..." Haru shook the other man's shoulder, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Hmm...?" Makoto groggily rubbed his eyes, his voice was gravelly from a night's sleep. "What's wrong?"

"I..." Haru hesitated, his breathing was a bit shallow and his chest noticeably rose and fell with his breaths. "I think I'm in heat again..."

"Huh... Huh?" Makoto propped himself up on his elbows, rubbing his eyes again and looking over at Haru.

"I had a dream about you, and..." Haru darted his eyes away from Makoto's gaze. "I woke up and now my penis is hard..."

Makoto could feel the blood rush to his ears. As a man, he knew morning wood was a common thing, him having experienced it as well, but hearing all of this from Haru so early in the morning was a bit overwhelming. There had already been one time when Haru had gotten aroused and asked what to do about it. Makoto had just said that he could either take care of it or just wait for it to go away. Luckily, for Makoto's case, he was getting ready to go to work and didn't have time to deal with the awkward situation. He wasn't necessarily prepared to deal with this aspect of Haru's new body. But now, when he didn't have to go into work for several hours - how was he going to deal with this?

"Um..." Makoto sat up all the way. "What did you do last time?"

"I waited for it to go away. But I didn't like it," Haru said bluntly.

"A-Ah..." Makoto scratched his head. "Do you not know... how to take care of it?"

"You said that last time - what does it mean?" Haru lifted his eyes back up to look at Makoto.

"You know... masturbate... touch yourself..." Makoto couldn't believe the conversation he was having right now.

"Oh." Haru was quiet for a moment. "I rarely became aroused when I was a mermaid. I have done that - what is it - masturbate? But those genitals are different than what I have now." Haru shifted under the bedsheets, "Can't you teach me how? Or maybe we can have sex..."

Makoto froze and thought his pulse might freeze too. Haru just asked so sincerely about indecent things with such an innocent look on his face.

"Please? It aches..." Haru said in a more hushed voice.

"O-Okay..." The word spilled out of Makoto's mouth before he could think about it.

Haru sat up and quickly pulled the boxers down that Makoto basically forced him to wear when they slept in the bed.

Makoto's eyes darted away almost instantly when he saw Haru's erection. It was just a natural reaction, like he wasn't supposed to be looking. Even when caring daily for Haru he tried his best to make sure not to stare as to not make Haru uncomfortable. But they were crossing a huge line now, there really was no reason for being shy. His eyes settled back on Haru, his curiosity naturally leading them down Haru's body to his full erection, the head a dark pink and the shaft curving slightly upward.

Makoto swallowed hard, his mouth going dry.

"What do I do?" Haru's face was a little more flushed now. Probably because of his exposed erection and the eyes of the other man so fixated on his body.

"Y-You just grab it and move your hand up and down..." Makoto knew he was probably not the best at explaining this whole process, especially now.

Haru grabbed his cock from the base and slowly moved it up along the length. His hips twitched a bit as he moved has hand down and repeated the process.

"Nn..." Haru let out a quiet grunt.

Makoto could feel his chest pounding a bit as his eyes stayed fixated on Haru stimulating his cock. He noticed a small bead of liquid forming at the tip.

Even with his mind starting to turn blank, Makoto had a small realization and turned to open up his drawer.

"What are you doing...?" Haru asked in a raspy voice.

"Th-This," Makoto held up a small bottle. "Its lotion... it'll make it feel better."

Haru stopped his movements and looked over at Makoto.

"Here... hold out your hand," Makoto said as he opened up the cap.

Haru obeyed, taking his hand off of his cock and holding it out to Makoto who squirted a generous amount onto his hand.

"Now when you rub yourself it'll feel better," Makoto said quietly, setting the bottle aside.

Haru looked down at the substance and hesitated at first, but slowly wrapped his hand around his erection again and started sliding his hand up and down. The motions were smoother and easier, Haru was now taking shallow breaths through his mouth, small moans escaping from his lips as he quickened his pace.

Makoto could feel a heat building in his groin as he watched Haru pleasuring himself. All his sense of guilt or conscious seemed to be slipping away as he watched Haru's hips twitch and buck along with his strokes.

"Hah... ahh!" Haru became louder, Makoto could tell he was reaching his limit, as well as feeling his own cock getting firmer.

"M-Makoto!" Haru said in a breathy voice, looking over at the man.

On instinct, Makoto leaned over and crashed his lips against Haru's. It was sloppy, messy, passionate. Haru moaning into Makoto's mouth, saying his name over and over again. One of Makoto's hands cupping the back of Haru's head while the other massaged over his chest.

"I'm going... to explode..." Haru managed to say when his mouth was free.

"Cum, Haru," Makoto whispered near his ear, leading his mouth to the base of Haru's neck, kissing and sucking it.

"Nn, ahh! Makoto!" Haru groaned, his voice becoming deep and guttural in the moments before his climax.

A rope of thick, white semen shot out of the tip of Haru's cock as he gave a loud moan, his body tensing. Haru's breathing became strained as he rode out his orgasm, Makoto kissing him over and over again on his lips.

"Let's... have sex. Let's make a baby," Haru said as he tried to calm his breathing.

Makoto stiffened a bit and lifted his head further from Haru, "I thought I told you you can't get pregnant."

"Let's just try until I do get pregnant," Haru reached up and pulled Makoto in for another kiss.

After their lips separated, Makoto sat back up, "We... We can't."

The mood in the room seemed to shift as both of them became quiet.

"...Okay," Haru replied. "I'm dirty now, though."

"Oh! Yes..." Makoto reached over on the night stand and grabbed a box of tissues and handed it to Haru. "I'll get the bath ready," he said as he stood up.

"What about you?"

"Huh?"

"What about you - that?" Haru pointed towards Makoto's crotch. Makoto looked down and could see his very obvious, full erection through his sweats.

"Ah..." Makoto wasn't sure why that embarrassed him a little considering what they were just doing. "I'll just... wait until it goes away." He turned quickly out of the room, but not before hearing a sigh escape Haru's lips.

Makoto quickly shut the door behind him in the bathroom and slid his pants down.

He wasn't sure why - but he absolutely froze up at the thought of having sex with Haru.

He knew why too - he didn't want to hurt him. Sex between men was a whole different animal than sex between a man and woman. Makoto didn't even know where to begin. He knew what went where... but that was about it. He didn't know the preparations or the steps or anything. And the only other thing he did know was that, if not done properly, anal sex could hurt - badly. It could even cause irreversible damage if one didn't know what they were doing. That scared Makoto.

And it didn't help that every time he sat down at the computer, he completely chickened out of trying to look it up. It was even worse trying to even step foot in the adult section at a bookstore. He knew he would have to get over it eventually, but he and Haru had only been in a relationship since Haru became fully human - and that wasn't very long ago. He figured he had a bit of time. But he knew only moments ago he would've gladly taken Haru up on his offer to do it until he got pregnant (which would probably end up in them passing out by the end), so its not like he  _didn't_  want to do it.

Makoto didn't think Haru even knew how sexy he was being, moaning his name and desperately grabbing onto him while he played with himself, begging to be fucked. Makoto jerked his dick even harder at the thought. He thought he was okay with waiting, he really did. But he also didn't know how erotic Haru could be.

"Ha... ru!" Makoto grunted as his cock released into the towel he held. "Ah! Hah..." He slowly milked out the rest of his semen, taking deep breaths.

He wasn't sure what he was going to do now.

* * *

"Thank you so much for coming over, Rei," Makoto said in slight relief as he saw his friend at the door.

"Its not problem at all! In fact, I feel like I should be apologizing for having an unexpected guest with me..." Rei sighed.

"No, no, its fine. I've met with Nagisa before, so it isn't a big deal," Makoto said kindly as he shut the door behind his two guests.

"Hello, Mako-chan!" Nagisa said a friendly and very familiar greeting.

"Nagisa, its a bit rude to be calling him by such a casual name," Rei sighed again.

"Its alright!" Makoto chuckled. "Its good to see you again, Nagisa," Makoto replied.

Rei had met Nagisa in college. You wouldn't guess it by looking at him, but he was training to become an astronaut. Makoto didn't want to sound rude, but Nagisa's natural childlike behavior seemed like a stark contrast to his career.

Makoto had called Rei over to help him explain to Rin about Haru. He knew Rin would think Makoto was crazy, so he figured backup would be of some great help.

The only thing that bothered Makoto at the moment was that he and Haru hadn't spoke much since the previous day. Haru seemed to be in a sour mood after being rejected by Makoto and was very aloof. At least he managed to get Haru to wear a shirt for the occasion.

"Rin should be coming over soon - would you two like some tea? I just made some," Makoto asked.

"Yes, that would be great," Rei nodded.

"Same!" Nagisa chimed in.

"Oh, before I get it," Makoto lead them further into his apartment. "Haru, this is Nagisa. And of course you already know Rei," Makoto set a hand on Haru's shoulder who was sitting on the couch.

Nagisa and Rei took a seat on a couple folding chairs. Living alone, Makoto didn't have much in the way of furniture.

"Hello, Haru-chan!" Nagisa said enthusiastically.

"N-Nagisa..." Rei mumbled.

"Hello..." Haru looked slightly wary of Nagisa, but didn't move.

"I'll go get the tea," Makoto announced before leaving the room.

"So, Haru-chan - were you really a mermaid?" Nagisa asked excitedly.

"Nagisa, don't be rude and act so familiar," Rei scolded.

"Yes, I was," Haru said simply.

"Its fine, Rei-chan, Haru-chan doesn't mind, right?" Nagisa asked with a smile.

"I don't really care," Haru shrugged.

Rei simply sighed.

"But I can't believe mermaids actually exist!" Nagisa didn't skip a beat. "What is it like living in the ocean?"

"Its... pretty normal. Nothing special. A lot of things are different from how humans live, but we still have jobs, take care of our families - all of that," Haru replied.

Makoto came back out with the tea and set it on the table in front of his guests. He then joined Haru on the couch.

"Did you have a tail like in the movie?" Nagisa asked.

"Nagisa, don't ask so many questions!" Rei scolded once more.

"Its fine," Haru said flatly.

"And he did have a tail," Makoto added. "I actually have some pictures of when Haru was a mermaid, I hope they're enough to convince Rin," he sighed.

"Pictures? I want to see!" Nagisa asked excitedly.

Makoto nodded and pulled out his phone, handing it over to Nagisa once he got the picture up.

"Oh, the ones you took on your phone?" Haru asked.

"Mhm," Makoto nodded.

"D-Don't show him that one embarrassing one..." Haru said in a quiet voice.

"Huh? Which one?" Makoto tilted his head.

"The... The one you took of me sleeping..." Haru grumbled.

"Ehh, but that one is so cute," Makoto teased.

"Don't!" Haru said with a firm voice.

"Hehe..." Both of them turned their heads to Nagisa who was giggling. "You two act just like a couple."

"W-Well..." Before Makoto could answer, there was a knock on the door.

He shot up rather quickly, Nagisa holding the phone out for Makoto to take back. He walked a little robotically towards the door. He was feeling a bit nervous, but he was sure with a proper explanation Rin would understand everything. With a quick, deep breath he opened the door with a smile on his face.

"Hello, Rin," he greeted with a steady voice.

"Hey," Rin nodded and walked into the apartment.

"Thanks for coming, Rin, it really is easier to explain in person," Makoto said as he shut the door and led Rin where the others were sitting.

"Well if coming over is what it takes for you to make sense of all this I'm happy to oblige," Rin replied.

"Hah..." Makoto really hoped Rei could be just what he needed. "Well I do have someone that will help with the explanation."

Rin looked around the room at everyone, Haru giving him a questionable scowl.

"Please, have a seat," Makoto said.

Rin took a seat in a folding chair across the table from Rei and Nagisa while Makoto rejoined Haru on the couch.

"I know what I'm about to say is going to sound absolutely ridiculous, so I brought my friend over to help me explain," Makoto gestured over to Rei. "He's a scientist at the Iwatobi Biological Research Laboratories, Dr. Ryuugazaki Rei."

"Hello, Rin-san," Rei bowed his head slightly. "Its nice to make your acquaintance. I happen to specialize in marine biology."

"Hello... its nice to meet you too," Rin looked a little confused, but stayed attentive nonetheless. "Who's the other guy?" Rin pointed with a nod of his head.

"Ah, this is just... a colleague of mine," Rei patted Nagisa's shoulder.

"Hello, I'm Hazuki Nagisa," the young astronaut spoke up.

Rin looked back over at Makoto as if to say 'So, whats the point of this?'

"Ah, I guess the best way to explain this is to not beat around the bush," Makoto chuckled nervously. Haru scooted closer to Makoto and gently grabbed onto his arm.

"Haru is... was... a mermaid..." Makoto said quietly.

"Hah?" Rei's reaction was just about what Makoto expected. The look on his face was now, 'Are you fucking crazy?'

"I-I know that sounds insane, but..."

"What Makoto-senpai is saying is the truth," Rei chimed in. "I was the only other person to witness Haru-san as a mermaid, I even ran tests on his scales, and-"

"Woah... woah, woah..." Rei held out one hand while the other massaged at his forehead. "You guys are saying... this guy is some goddamn Disney princess? If he's some 'mermaid' why the hell does he have legs? Can't you turn them back into a fin or some shit?"

Makoto guessed Rin's crude language kind of came with the police job.

"Err, actually, we aren't sure why he has legs now, and he has them for good - no more tail," Makoto shrugged his shoulders rather meekly.

Rin sighed. "You're right, Makoto - this all sounds like bullshit."

"I know, but... I have no reason to make up such a strange lie," Makoto replied.

"Yeah, I guess there are a lot better excuses for getting out of being charged for public nudity than this," Rei laughed a bit cynically.

"I have pictures if that will help," Makoto said, standing up from the couch and pulling out his phone and squatting next to Rin.

"See, I found him injured on the beach one day and brought him back home with me. He lived in my apartment while he was recovering," Makoto began to explain. "I had a small pool for him to sit in."

Makoto showed a picture of Haru sitting in his all-too-familiar pool, fin plainly in sight. Makoto swiped to the next picture.

"Oh, he's in the bath in this one," Makoto smiled slightly.

"I... don't get it..." Rin brought his hand up to his head again.

"I know its really hard to believe, but its true!" Makoto pleaded.

"... You didn't just photoshop these or something?"

"No! I don't even have or know how to use photoshop..." Makoto sighed.

"Okay, lets just say I believe everything that you've said," Rin started, "Why was Haru found on the beach if he was living with you? Its not like he could just get up and walk out considering he had a fin, right? Judging by your surprise when you saw him, you were shocked to see him without one at the station."

Rin was pretty sharp. As expected of an officer.

"Well, I was only keeping Haru until he got better. When he fully recovered, I took him back to the ocean," Makoto explained.

"And I wanted to come back."

Everyone's heads turned to Haru who had been quiet the whole time.

"I wanted to live with Makoto again, so I came back," he repeated.

"Yes," Makoto looked back over at Rin. "And not even Haru knows how he lost his fin and gained legs."

Rin grunted and crossed his arms as Makoto sat back down on the couch.

"Like I said, I've done some research on Haru-san's scales - from his tail. They weren't anomalous at all, it was quite peculiar," Rei spoke up. "Trust me, if I hadn't seen Haru-san with my own eyes, I'd be feeling very hesitant as well, even as a man of science." Rei shuffled through his pockets to pull out a small bottle, standing up and walking towards Rin. "See? These are the same scales as in the photo."

Rin looked at the bottle in Rei's hands, his eyes narrowing. "Fine! Fine..." he raised his hands. "I can't imagine this is a joke, because it isn't a very funny one. And knowing Makoto, he isn't a very good liar. So I'll believe it, I guess." He let out a sigh. "A mermaid, huh? I guess there's also a bigfoot and a lochness monster..."

Rei returned to his seat, pocketing the scale sample.

Makoto gave a relieved laugh, "If any of those wash up on shore, I'll let you know right away."

"Hmph," Rin seemed to relax a bit. "Ain't it - if the mermaid finds her true love, she becomes human? What, did Haru fall in love or something?" He joked.

"Yes," Haru said bluntly.

"H-Haru..." Makoto looked over at the other man on the couch with him, his cheeks slightly flushed.

"Oh, I knew it!" Nagisa piped up, a wonder why he was so quiet until then.

"W-Well," Makoto chuckled nervously. "I guess that's the other thing we're announcing...?"

"Huh? Makoto-senpai... you and Haru-san are in a relationship?" Rei asked, rather shocked.

"Yes," Haru answered again.

"No wonder Haru-chan has been so clingy to Mako-chan," Nagisa hummed.

"So you're prince charming?" Rin laughed.

"Er..." Makoto was feeling a little embarrassed in front of his friends, but also relieved that they seemed accepting of it.

"Well, congratulations," Rei said with a kind smile.

"Thanks," Makoto returned the smile.

"How long have you two been dating? Was it before Haru got legs?" Nagisa asked.

"No, Makoto wouldn't be with me when I was a mermaid," Haru replied.

"Ehh, that's mean, Mako-chan. I didn't know you were so judgmental of other people's... err... species?" Nagisa tapped his chin.

"N-No! That isn't it," Makoto shook his head. "I just thought it was best for Haru to be with his own kind - I would've only been a burden..."

"You would never be a burden to me. Especially since I have been nothing but a burden for you," Haru said, looking over at Makoto.

"You were never a burden, Haru! How could you even say that about yourself," Makoto frowned.

"Now you know how I felt when you kept saying that about yourself, about how I'm better off without you..." Haru pouted.

"I-I'm sorry, Haru," Makoto gently ran his fingers through Haru's hair, Haru leaning into the touch.

"Uhh... If you two are going to start sucking face, can I leave before you do?" Rin spoke up.

"How naughty, you two are already intimate," Nagisa teased.

"No! I was just-"

"We haven't copulated yet, though," Haru interrupted.

"Haru!" Makoto could immediately feel his ears and cheeks heat up.

"I'm not listening..." Rin plugged his ears.

"Nagisa, that was rude!" Rei reprimanded yet again.

"Mako-chan, you can't just hold out on Haru-chan like that," Nagisa said, completely ignoring Rei.

"Yeah, Makoto, why won't you have sex with me?" Haru asked with seriousness.

"I'm... going to leave," Rin stood up.

Luckily, the chaos quieted down rather quickly before Makoto thought he was going to lose his mind. Rin was the first to leave, with Nagisa and a vehemently apologetic Rei leaving soon after. Makoto said it was no problem, and greatly thanked Rei for helping him.

"Hah..." Makoto closed the door with a long sigh. "I knew it might get hectic, but I didn't think it would be that bad." He threw himself onto the couch. "You can't go telling people about such private things though, Haru!"

"I'm sorry," Haru replied. "I forgot humans are private about those affairs."

Makoto wasn't sure if Haru was telling the truth or getting back at him for avoiding the topic of sex the other day. At least they seemed to be on better speaking terms now. "Its fine, Haru. And two men having sex isn't very simple, you know?"

"Its okay, I'll wait," Haru said calmly.

Makoto looked over at Haru, "Is it?"

"Yes, sex isn't everything. Its just... I wanted to be joined with you so badly," Haru leaned on Makoto's shoulder. "But I'm happy being with you like this too."

Makoto couldn't help but smile, grabbing Haru's hand and squeezing it gently.

"I really want to be with you like that too," he said softly. "I'll let you know when I'm ready."

He guessed it really was silly to worry over something like that. Everything would probably go fine with some proper research.

Makoto just hoped Haru wouldn't tell everyone about it when it finally did happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another lengthy wait for an update, but I hope you are still enjoying the story. I really hope this chapter wasn't a mess, I did proofread it, but I was very tired when I did so.
> 
> Poor Makoto, so innocent, until Haru starts being erotic.
> 
> Thanks for sticking with my story, and see you next time~ :*


	9. Chapter 9

Haru always wondered if the birds flying in the sky was anything like how swimming in the sea felt. They glided through the air so effortlessly, and darting through the water took little effort as well. Once in a while he'd see a gull plummet down into the water to catch a small fish and shoot right back up, flapping their wings to go settle on a nearby piece of land to enjoy their meal.

But right now it was dark - very dark. He probably wouldn't be able to swim so easily if he didn't know this path like the back of his hand. It took a few days of convincing his parents to leave. They urged him not too. But in the end, they realized they could not make Haru budge on his decision - he was going to stay with the human he had fallen in love with.

They insisted on at least going with him, but he didn't want to have a sad and emotional parting. Plus, he thought that maybe his parents would try to convince Makoto not to take Haru with him. There was a heaviness in his heart to leave his parents and the village he grew up in. This was the only life he had ever known. But more than anything, he wanted to be with Makoto. He was willing to give all of that up to see him.

Haru had swam these waters so many times, but his heart was beating more than it ever had. He was excited and nervous - the only thing on his mind was to get to Makoto, to see him again. All he wanted in that moment was to see Makoto's kind smile, to say his name in that gentle way he always did, to be engulfed in his warmth.

And then there was a bright light amongst the darkness. So bright, Haru had to close his eyes from how blinding it was. He stopped mid-swim. It shown so brightly even through his closed eyelids. He could tell the light was slowly beginning to fade, and thinking it was safe to look, he opened his eyes...

Haru was met with a dimly illuminated ceiling. It wasn't the surface of the water or the house that he lived in with his parents.

That's right, he lived with Makoto now. There was no way he could be in the ocean. He looked over beside him to see Makoto fast asleep, facing towards him. Haru scooted closer and wrapped an arm around the larger man's body, burying his face into his chest. Makoto's natural scent felt so comforting.

Makoto stirred a bit and made a low grumble before speaking up lazily. "Haru?"

"Sorry, I woke you up," Haru mumbled into his chest.

"Its alright, I probably had to get up soon anyway," Makoto's voice was gravely as he gently stroked Haru's head.

"I think... I remember part of how I got my legs," Haru spoke again.

"H-Huh? Really?" Makoto sounded a little more alert now at the announcement.

"Sort of," Haru lifted his head. "I remember that I was on my way to the beach, and suddenly there was a blinding light. I don't remember what happened after that, though."

"Wasn't that just a dream?" Makoto asked.

"I don't know... it felt real. It seemed more like a memory than anything."

"Hmm..." Makoto pondered a bit. "You don't... really think that fairy tale could be true... could it?"

Haru shrugged, "Its possible. If I suddenly gained legs, I don't see how its any less weird for there to be some sort of mystical power that gave them to me."

"That's true..." Makoto thought the idea of this 'goddess' actually being real sounded ridiculous, but the fact that mermaids exist in the first place... Well, anything could happen now, really. Makoto closed his eyes in thought, but soon felt Haru grab onto him again. He opened his eyes to see Haru's head burrowed into his chest. He let out a chuckle. "Do you want to try going to the store with me today?"

Haru looked up, slight eagerness in his eyes. "Can I really?"

"Of course," Makoto ran his fingers through Haru's hair. "You look like any other human now, and you've been walking fine with the cane."

Makoto had bought a simple cane for Haru to use since he now seemed to walk fine as long as he had some support or something to lean on. And it would be great for Haru to start getting used to interacting with other people. He had only previously went on a few drives with Makoto without getting out of the car.

It took them a while to get ready after lunch (and it was easy to convince Haru to put on a shirt with the prospects of leaving the house). Haru seemed a bit eager and nervous to be going out into public for the first time (he didn't count the police station...) as he stared out of the car window.

Once Makoto drove into the supermarket parking lot and turned off the car, he looked over at Haru. "Ready?" He asked with a reassuring smile. Haru gave a quick nod. "Alright, I'll come help you out of the car," Makoto said as he undid his seat belt and opened his door.

This was a whole new experience for Haru. Even though he had legs now, the only places he had been besides Makoto's apartment was the pool and the police station (unfortunately). He had never actually been in a place crowded with people like he saw on the television at home. His walking was a little unsteady; not just because he was still getting used to it, but because his nerves were starting to shake him a bit.

"You can hold on to me, if you need," Makoto's words seemed to indicate that he was sensing Haru's change in demeanor.

Haru didn't want to cause trouble for Makoto, so he slowly hooked his free hand around Makoto's arm while steadying himself with his cane.

They made it to the front of the store and Makoto walked over to the carts. "Do you want to push the cart? It's something you can hold on to, so it'll help you walk too."

Haru had seen several commercials and shows of people pushing carts through grocery stores, and even though it seemed silly, he was a little excited to be doing something that was so normal to humans.

"Alright," he said in conformation.

Makoto pulled out one of the carts and brought it in front of Haru. Haru grabbed onto the handle as Makoto placed Haru's cane into the cart.

"Now you just push!" Makoto said with his usual kind smile.

Haru pushed the cart towards the doors of the store and jumped a bit as the doors slid open automatically. Makoto chuckled a little as they walked inside.

The amount of sensory stimulus was a little overwhelming. The beeping of the cash registers, the low murmur of the customers talking, the soft music playing over the intercom, the fluorescent lights shining from the ceiling, and that smell that only supermarkets have of various foods and products all packed into one location.

"We don't need much, it shouldn't take long," Makoto said in what seemed like a reassuring voice.

Haru nodded and followed Makoto who beckoned him to one of the isles. Haru made very sure to keep his balance as well as not running into the other shoppers. It wasn't very crowded, but he didn't want to take any chances.

Despite it being a little nerve-wracking at first, a few isles and some things thrown in the cart later, Haru was starting to calm down a bit. Now he just realized how bizarre it was to finally be in a place like this. A place he never thought he'd ever end up in - walking amongst humans who didn't even pay him any mind. He was a human just like them now, after all.

"Here's your favorite part!" Makoto seemed pleased with himself as he led Haru and the cart over to back of the store.

Haru's eyes widened as he say freshly caught fish laid out on ice lining the back of the store. Some were behind glass cases and already cut to show the glistening meat that made his mouth water.

"I'm guessing you'd like some mackerel?" Makoto chuckled as he caught Haru staring daggers at the raw fish.

"Yes," Haru gave a short but eager response.

Makoto ordered some cuts of mackerel and tuna (Makoto's favorite, and Haru quite liked it as well).

After the fish was wrapped and handed over, Makoto led the way to the check-out counter. They had to wait in line behind an older lady who only had a few items, but took a while to pay. As they waited, Makoto began putting their items on the counter, and Haru began to help as much as he could without taking one hand off of the cart.

Makoto grabbed Haru's cane after the cart was emptied and handed it to Haru. "We need the cart to set the bagged groceries in, so you'll have to use this for a little while."

"Hello, Tachibana-kun! How are you today?" The middle-aged woman at the register greeted as she started scanning the items.

"I'm fine, Mrs. Kawashima, thank you," Makoto replied with a smile.

"You always come alone - I'm surprised to see you've brought someone," she glanced over at Haru.

"Ah, this is my... roommate, Haruka," Makoto gestured to the other man.

"H-Hello," Haru said quietly.

"Hello, dear," Mrs. Kawashima said warmly. "Is your leg okay?" Her eyes fell on his cane.

"Oh, yeah, he just twisted his ankle pretty bad and got a rough sprain," Makoto answered for him.

"The poor thing! Out and about on a bad ankle when he should be at home letting it heal. I would expect as a fireman you'd take better care of your friend, Tachibana-kun," she tutted at him as she continued to scan the produce.

"Ahh, I know, he should be resting..." Makoto said nervously.

"I wanted to leave the house," Haru said rather bluntly.

"Well, I guess you can't be cooped up for too long. But once you get home, rest that leg right away!" She scolded in a motherly fashion.

After everything was packed and back in the cart, the two said their goodbyes to Mrs. Kawashima and headed to the car.

"Sorry about that, Haru. I always go to this store, so I know a lot of the employees," Makoto sighed.

"Its fine. She seemed okay," Haru shrugged.

"And I had to tell her a few lies... sorry," Makoto gave another sigh.

"You had to. Not like you could tell her I only started walking a few weeks ago.

"That's true," Makoto chuckled.

Haru waited in the car as Makoto packed everything in. Once Makoto got into the driver's seat, started up the car, and made his way out of the parking lot, Haru spoke up again.

"How come you told her I was your 'roommate'?"

"Ah, well..." Makoto rubbed his neck. "Its kind of hard to tell other people you're my... boyfriend."

"Why?"

"Well," Makoto paused. "People aren't really used to seeing two men or two women together in a relationship."

"Is it not normal?" Haru asked.

"Its not like its a bad thing..." Makoto scrunched his face a bit trying to think of a way to best explain, "Its just... not as common as a man and woman being together. And some people don't really get it."

"... Is it difficult for you to be with another man?" Haru continued to question.

"No! Of course not!" Makoto glanced over at Haru before putting his eyes back on the road. "If you love someone... it doesn't matter what gender they are. All that matters is that you two feel the same way. Some people... I guess they don't understand that. But I could never regret being with you, Haru."

Makoto reached out and grabbed Haru's hand tightly. "And I just want to protect you. I wish I could tell everyone we're together, but I don't want the wrong people to hear about it."

Haru lightly squeezed Makoto's hand in response. "Is it dangerous for us to be together? Why don't some people want people of the same gender to be together?"

"I don't know..." Makoto sighed. "Its silly, if you think about it. But I can assure you - you'll never be put in any danger, Haru. I'll make sure of it."

"Okay..." Haru responded.

He held on to Makoto's hand all the way to the apartment.

* * *

"Do you want to help cook?" Makoto asked after he put out everything to make dinner.

"Is it okay if I try?" Haru questioned back.

"Of course! You seem to really like cooking shows, so I figured you'd like to try it out yourself."

Haru seemed reluctant at first. Fire wasn't something he was very accustomed to. Sure their were underground geysers that shot out jets of incredibly hot water, but everyone knew to avoid those. Haru new fire was just as hot, and sometimes, maybe hotter. And the way the flames danced seemed unpredictable and unsettling.

But the flames on the stove were low and controlled. The incredible amount of heat they gave off still made him wary, but somehow, he managed to get through with helping Makoto prepare their meal. Makoto let him do more simple things like prepare the rice and chop up the vegetables (Makoto seemed more concerned about Haru holding a knife than being by the stove). Haru watched the fish simmer in the pan, but Makoto was the one who flipped them over.

This was... pretty fun. This was something Haru got to help Makoto do. Finally. He had been feeling guilty letting Makoto do all the work, even though it wasn't his fault that Haru didn't quite get the hang of being human yet. Haru hoped that he'd be able to help Makoto out more often in the future.

"You did great!" Makoto said happily as he took the fish off of the burner.

"Really?"

"Yes! For your first time, I think you did quite well."

Haru appreciated the comment silently as he watched Makoto plate the food.

The two enjoyed their meal together while they watched one of Haru's new favorite dramas. The food tasted good as usual, so Haru was glad he didn't mess it up.

"Hah..." Makoto patted his stomach while leaning back on the couch. "That was good - I'm stuffed."

Haru wasn't quite finished with his plate, "Did yours taste good?"

"Of course! Haru-chan chopped the vegetables really well. I'm glad you didn't hurt yourself while doing it."

"I've always been handy with... knives." Haru wasn't sure if thats what he'd call them, but there are sharp tools the mermaid often use for cutting up their food as well, amongst various other things like kelp and tough sea plants.

"Ah, I'm always learning something new about you," Makoto smirked and gently stroked the back of Haru's head.

Haru slowly finished the rest of his meal, but all the while being very alert to Makoto's arm now around him, which somehow distracted him from even being able to taste the last of his food. The young man gently placed his plate down on the table and leaned closer to Makoto so that their bodies were touching. Makoto gave Haru's shoulder a light squeeze, Haru resting his head against Makoto's chest as the drama on television played.

As much as Haru enjoyed this show, again, all he could think about was Makoto's touch. The body warmth he was feeling that was not his own almost made him feel like melting. The sound from the television seemed like just a buzz as Haru's breathing became more shallow. He really did love spending time with Makoto like this - being close to him, spending the day together.

Haru rested his hand on Makoto's thigh. He sensed a slight response from Makoto's body, but the other man didn't say a word and continued watching the television. When Haru slowly moved his hand up, he could feel Makoto's body tense.

"...Haru?" Makoto asked tentatively.

Haru looked up at green eyes that seemed to show nervousness.

Makoto saw eager blue eyes. Haru's mouth hung open slightly, as if eagerly waiting for something.

It was hard to say who initiated it first, but in the next moment, their lips had met in kiss.

Haru let out a soft sigh as he opened his mouth for air, Makoto taking the opportunity to deepen the kiss further. Feeling the blood rushing through his body, Haru shifted to move on top of Makoto's lap without separating their mouths. It was a bit hard to sit straddled on Makoto's lap considering the fins he had his whole life up to this point pretty much felt like the equivalent of keeping your legs close together, but it was almost as if his body was moving on its own.

Makoto seemed to freeze for a moment, but continued kissing Haru and gently set a hand on the small of Haru's back.

This position and Makoto's soft and slow movement of his lips against Haru's - he knew he was starting to feel aroused. Giving an experimental rut against Makoto, he rubbed his hardening member against the other man's lap.

"H-Haru..." Makoto's voice was low and gravelly. His mouth ghosted over Haru's jaw planting wet kisses down to his neck.

Haru let out a soft moan as he again rutted against Makoto, who lightly sucked the base of Haru's neck. Haru hooked his hands around Makoto's neck, steadying his breathing.

Without much warning, Haru felt himself being lifted up and into Makoto's arms. "Wh-What?"

"Let's... go to the bedroom," Makoto said in a slightly shaky voice as he began to walk quickly while holding Haru in his arms.

Haru was whisked away and lay down onto the bed (although Makoto was eager, he didn't want to actually toss him on).

Their lips met again in a passionate kiss, Makoto hovering over Haru with his hands and legs on either side of him. Haru wrapped his arms around Makoto's strong back and drew their bodies closer, he could now tell that Makoto was feeling much the same as their hardened members rubbed against each other.

Makoto began to kiss down Haru's neck again while his hand wandered up his partner's shirt. Haru gave a brief whine as Makoto began to massage his chest, slightly squeezing his nipple between his fingers.

"Take it off... the shirt..." Haru breathed. He was more than happy for the shirt to be removed - he couldn't take it off when they got home since Makoto said cooking without one wasn't safe.

The shirt was a bit roughly taken off, and after it was, Haru reached for the hem of Makoto's. Understanding what he was getting at, Makoto proceeded to take his shirt off as well.

Haru's hands wandered up the body of the man who was straddling him. Makoto's body was actually quite different from his own - broader, bigger muscles that could pick him up with ease. Of course, considering his job, he'd have to have a lot of upper body strength. His wide torso almost seemed intimidating, but Haru knew how gentle Makoto actually was.

Makoto gently placed his hand on one of Haru's that was rubbing his body, bringing it up to gently kiss each of Haru's fingers. He then laced their fingers together and leaned towards Haru to give him another kiss on the lips.

Haru eagerly accepted the kiss, his free hand moving to cup Makoto's hot erection through his pants. Makoto didn't waste much time letting go of Haru's hand and reaching for the button of his jeans to undo. He sloppily pulled them down along with his underwear, releasing his erect cock for Haru to see.

Haru had seen Makoto naked plenty of times, but had never seen his cock so hard like this. Haru grabbed for the band of his baggy sweatpants (Makoto promised to take him clothes shopping one day) and tried wriggling them down.

Makoto leaned back over Haru to help him pull down his pants. A bead of precum glistened at the tip of Haru's erection and Makoto rutted his member against his lover's.

Haru let out a soft moan as Makoto gave another thrust of his hips and embraced Haru, their bodies close together as their cocks continued to rub against one another.

Haru grabbed the back of Makoto's neck as they met in a sloppy kiss, Haru's tongue eagerly seeking out Makoto's mouth as low growls of passion escaped his lips.

Makoto reached down between them and took both of their cocks in his hand, a few more beads of precum wet the heads of their members, Makoto sliding down his hand to coat their heat in them. Makoto let out a low groan as he began to move his hand up and down faster along their lengths.

"Ahh, Makoto!" Haru said in a raspy voice between kisses.

"Haru... Haru..." Makoto breathed as he separated their mouths to rest his head in the crook of Haru's neck.

Makoto held their cocks loosely in his hand as he began thrusting his hips, rubbing his dick rhythmically against Haru's. Haru let out low but arousing moans as he dug his fingers into Makoto's back.

Makoto sucked and licked the base of Haru's neck as he picked up the speed of his hips. It felt like there was a fire burning in his groin. This sensation was so hot, it nearly did feel like it was burning, but at the same time he had never felt something so good. He lifted up his head to kiss Haru yet again who was now a panting mess. Haru took ragged breaths in between kisses as Makoto began to move his hand up and down along with his thrusts to take them over the edge.

"I'm... cumming..." Haru nearly whined into Makoto's mouth.

"Me too... Haru," Makoto said between ragged breaths.

Makoto's cock was throbbing and ready to release. Haru came first, a low and long moan coming from his throat as his hips bucked up into Makoto's his semen spurting out between them. After a few more strokes came Makoto's intense orgasm, letting out a throaty moan next Haru's ear, repeating his lover's name a few times as he squeezed ever last bit out of both of their cocks.

They both lay in a spent pile, Makoto wondered if he was too heavy for Haru, but Haru didn't seem to mind, and the heavy breaths he was taking seemed to indicate he was breathing just fine. Makoto lifted his head to give Haru a chaste kiss, running a gentle hand through his lover's hair.

"Want to take a bath?" Makoto asked in a soft voice.

"Yeah," Haru's voice cracked a bit and Makoto smiled.

* * *

"You two seem lovey dovey~" Nagisa commented as he took a sip of his milkshake.

"Hah, well..." Makoto nervously rubbed his neck. Haru was currently clinging to his arm on the other side of the booth.

"I'm glad your relationship seems to be going well," Rei commented. "Has it been difficult adjust to life as a human, Haru?"

"Some things are difficult, but I can adjust quickly to most of them," Haru responded.

"Oh, yes! The other day Haru helped me cook even! I was really proud of him, I guess watching all those cooking shows paid off," Makoto nodded.

"Oooh, I want Haru-chan to cook for me!" Nagisa said cheerily.

"Nagisa! Don't just invite yourself like that," Rei scolded.

"Its fine, I will cook for you two once I get the hang of it," Haru responded.

"Yay!" Nagisa cheered.

Rei sighed, "Well, thank you, Haru. I will wait with anticipation. I guess these kinds of things like cooking with each other also brings you closer together?"

"Yeah, I had a lot of fun getting to do something like that with Haru," Makoto smiled.

"We also made love afterward," Haru interjected nonchalantly.

"H-Haru!" Makoto said in a half scream, half whisper. His face immediately began to turn red.

"Woo, finally! You know you have to please Haru-chan once in a while, Mako-chan, or else Haru-chan might leave you and go back to the ocean," Nagisa lectured.

"N-Nagisa..." Rei's face was red too, to the point he didn't have much strength to yell at him.

"Well, we didn't go all the way, but it felt really good," Haru continued.

"Haru, please!" Makoto whined, his ears felt like they would burn off.

"Oh, I forgot we weren't supposed to talk about that. Sorry. Pretend I didn't say anything."

Nagisa simply laughed while Rei shifted in his seat without saying a word. The rest of that dinner was a bit awkward.

Makoto guessed there was still a lot that Haru had to learn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, it has been too long, and I'm sorry. ;~; I have just really been struggling with writing lately, as well as having some personal issues going on. This doesn't mean I will stop writing, but please understand if updates do take a long time. I still want to write! I'm just having a difficult time getting my life together. I hope everyone understands, and thanks for being so patient.
> 
> But enough of that. I figured I'd come back with this fic on a big day - Makoto's birthday! Happy birthday, flawless angel Mako-chan! (Its still his birthday for me as I post this, at least) I really and truly hope that this chapter is a good one to come back to. I hope this fic can still be brought up to reader's expectations! It was my first time writing an h-scene in a good while, so I hope this was satisfying enough. I hope this chapter was written well too... But argh, I'm getting too worried about it. I'll just hope its a good one!
> 
> Before I keep going on and on, I'll end it here. Thank you so much for reading and all of the support. And I will see you next time. :*

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope this AU isn't overdone to death, but hopefully I can still make this a worthwhile story. I have a lot planned for it and I'm really excited to have my first multi-chapter MakoHaru story! Please let me know what you think~ Feel free to follow my twitter for updates ([SquattaWrites](https://twitter.com/SquattaWrites)) and thank you so much for reading! See you next time.


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